The League's Hunt
by Alexnandru Van Gordon
Summary: Did the Justice League ever wonder if the Titans were really capable of crimefighting on their own?...They plan to see if the Titans can evade capture from dusk until dawn...without knowing it.
1. Chapter 1: Let the hunt begin

The League's Hunt…

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I need a break from my usual Robin vs. Slade battle stories, that and A) my laptop blew up; B) I wrote a seventeen page long chapter for Not Again and another one for Blast but….both were not saved properly on the disk. Sometimes I could kill technology…even though it's not "technically" alive.

SUMMARY: What if the Justice League ever wondered if the Titans were really capable of crime fighting on their own?

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Not now, not then, not ever…

CHAPTER ONE: Let the hunt begin

Do you ever get the feeling that there is something that just has to get done when there really isn't anything important happening currently? When the world is safe and crime is at its ultimate low, the final peace and harmony of the world seems all too good to be true. The sky is too blue and the clouds above California seem to be swirling into something of what only an over-protective person would call a hurricane. In reality, it's just the wind, but all the way up in outer-space you're just a little too edgy to calm down and realize the world is perfectly safe for once.

When you're a hero sitting up in the Justice League's Watch Tower, you can't help but fall victim to the never-ending stress pondering against your temples in each heart beat. There's something you know you have time to get too but you can't quit put your finger on it. Then, as though heaven had fated it to happen, you remember what it was in a simple sentence.

"How old are the Titans?"

It was quiet until Flash broke the silence, but he was a kid at heart and he was always the one to break it. Staring innocently out a window at the small sphere of earth he voiced the question just as it popped into his mind. Usually he said the dumb funny stuff, but today (or tonight) he said something that was on everyone's mind.

Jo'nn, staring at the keyboard, turned and looked to Batman, the only one who knew the age of at least one member. "How old is Robin?"

"Fifteen…sixteen…why?"

Flash, grinning, zipped to his side and crossed his arms. "What? You—the least forgetful person I know—forgot you're own kid's age?"

Batman muttered something along the lines of 'leave me alone' and walked away to the other side of the room, the other League members lost in thought.

"Why do you ask, Flash?" Jo'nn asked, returning to his work. "They are older teenagers."

"I don't know…How old were you when you started crime fighting with a mark and all those gadgets, Bats?"

He hated being called 'Bats', but he answered all the same. "Twenties, why?"

"And you?" He pushed at Superman.

Clark, actually considering something the kid-like member asked, shrugged. "I did what I could when I was younger, but I didn't get into anything big with a name of my own until I was at least a responsible adult."

"What are you getting at?"

Flash looked to Bruce. "Well…how come we left a bunch of kids on their own with crime fighting? I know they're good and all that but…what happens when they get something serious and we're not around?"

"Define serious."

He shrugged and stared out the window again. "I mean…what are their villains like? They've got a magician that shoots bunnies at them out of his hat and a screwed up Englishman that wants to Britain-nize the U.S. What happens if they get a guy with a gun who plants a doom's day bomb under their city?"

Good…question. For one of the few times in Wally West's life, the team stood quietly as they began to think.

Wonder Woman was the first to break the silence. "What do we suggest we do? Disband the Titans?"

"No…" Batman stood forward into the center of the group. "Maybe we should test them?"

"How did you test Robin before he became your partner?"

A grin almost grew on his lips. Flash swore he saw the slightest evidence of one, but Batman would have denied it as he answered the question. "Evade capture from dusk until dawn."

-TT-

Five o'clock in the afternoon and it had just begun to rain outside in a small drizzle as the Titans returned home, both Beast Boy and Raven covered from head to toe in ice cream. Shaking, Raven closed her cape tightly around her body while BB tried his best to shake off the cold, melting substance in the form of a dog.

Long story. No time to explain.

"Why did it have to be an ice cream truck?" BB whined, trudging down the hallway toward his room behind Raven. "There was a pillow truck right next to it…"

Raven, snarling in a small way as she headed toward the washroom, rolled her eyes at his comment. "Quit complaining. Just be grateful it wasn't the wet cement laid down on the road beside them both."

"What a positive outlook on life." He muttered, but no further complaint came as they split up in the hallway. "And hurry with the shower. This stuff is sticky."

Starfire, Cyborg and Robin, clean, headed toward the main room. Neither said anything for the longest of times as they flopped down onto the couch and stared at the main computer in silence.

It was the little beeping red dot on the computer screen that caught their attention.

"What is it?"

Cyborg shrugged. "Don't know. It says that something broke the lock on the roof door, but none of the other alarms are going off…"

It was an odd thing indeed, but it wasn't the first time that such happened. The only time it did happen was when someone went out onto the roof to watch the sunrise but forgot to turn off the alarm before they opened the door. Raven was in the shower, BB in his room, and the rest were in the main room resting. What was it then?

"Perhaps the wind?" Starfire suggested in a small voice, sinking into the couch at the red-faced look Cyborg gave her.

"The wind! Man—that's the insult of all insults! My alarm system isn't that crummy…is it?"

"Um…I believe that is true, friend Cyborg. You have a most excellent al-arm system."

"Alarm." Robin corrected, standing and heading for the hallway. "I'll check it out. I'll call back if it's nothing."

-F-

"_You're not too smart, are you?_

Flash wrinkled his nose at the comment in the ear communicator but ignored the Lantern as he zipped down the hallway and peeked around the corner. It was the last digit in the code that he forgot to type in, moving too fast for the computer to registered that he had indeed pushed the "**7**" button. Oh well…it wasn't like the Tin man's alarm system was that good—and why would they check the door if only one measly alarm was set off? There were ten more that would have gone off had it not been for his speed.

Seeing that the coast was clear, he sped down the next length of the hallway and turned the corner, zipping back the way he came when he saw Robin's shadow near the next turn. Pressing the button on his ear communicator, he winced at his own carelessness.

"Robin's on his way to the door. Where do I go?"

There was an annoyed sigh from the Green Lantern, but John kept his cool. _"Where are you in the building?"_

"Peeking around the corner of the third hallway from the roof door."

"_Look up. There should be a ventilation system above you on the wall."_

"Shouldn't I just grab him?"

"_Everyone has their own to catch. Robin's not yours so just hide until he passes."_

He rolled his eyes behind his mask but did as he was told. Stretching his arms upward as he turned to face the wall, he pushed the small cage like door to the ventilation system open and scrambled inside. In the blink of the eye he had it closed behind him, staring down into the hall as Robin strolled by casually. His cape fell over his shoulders and hid his upper body like Batman's cape sometimes did for him, a serious look to his posture. Sometimes it made Flash wonder why the kid ever wanted to be the man's sidekick. Must have been hell to practice with him…

-R-

Finding the door, he found that it was left pretty much untouched…but instinct told him better. He pressed a couple of buttons on the alarm system and checked the record of codes typed in. Just a couple of minutes ago, one was—a number less of what was needed to slip inside quietly.

Taking his communicator from his utility belt, he sighed and clicked it on. "Cy, someone is in the Tower."

"_Who?"_

"Just give me a sec…" Typing in something else, a name popped up on the screen instead of numbers. He expected the system to spot a villain coming in, but **WALLY WEST** was what he got.

Rolling his eyes, he clicked his communicator back on again. "Flash."

"_Whoa—excuse me?"_

"Flash—from the League—he's here."

"_Um…Doesn't the Leagues usually keep him occupied so he doesn't bug anyone on earth?"_

"Unless he's with someone."

"_Unless he's with…Hey!_ _What's that supposed to mean?"_

"That he's not alone. Someone else from the League, but I don't know how many…"

"_And why are they here?"_

"Don't know…" He set the small door back on the alarm system and cautiously stepped back into the building. Door closing behind him, he took one last glance at the setting sun before it disappeared entirely below the horizon. "Suspicious?"

"_Yes! What do we do?"_

"Sit tight and keep our eyes wide open. The League just doesn't pop up for no apparent reason, and if it was matters on saving the world I doubted they would have entered through the back door."

"_So…they're trying to catch us off guard?"_

"Maybe."

"_So we just wait and find out?"_

"Yep." He started back down the hall.

"_You sound like you've had this happen to you before."_

He frowned at the memory. "Yes…but at least then I was given a head start…"

-SM-

He levitated outside the window, waiting for the sign from Batman who was hidden up on the roof with the Green Lantern. Jo'nn was with him and they waited together in mid-air as the sun finally set.

"_He's inside now."_ Bruce answered. _"And their time for preparation is up. Enter when you feel you're ready."_

"What do I do if one of them screams?" He didn't want to scare the kids even if scaring them would be a little fun. They weren't going to hurt them, just catch them and tie them up until dawn. If at least one of them evaded capture by dawn then the League wouldn't bother the team again. But still…if one of them cried out for help the whole element of surprise would be ruined.

"_Just be careful."_ Was the only advice Batman gave and then the line hummed with silence.

Jo'nn placed a reassuring hand on Clark's shoulder, a small grin on the Martian's face. "It's all in good fun. We mean them no harm and they know that They're kids. They should enjoy the game too."

He shrugged.

Let the hunt begin…

-A-

Hope you liked it.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	2. Chapter 2: Hide and go seek

The League's hunt…

Alexnandru Van Gordon

It's good to see that so many people like the story. Now I know I should continue.

Well, those of you who already know me know I'm not going to keep this simple. I'm going to turn up the heat for the Titans and you'll see exactly what I mean in just a bit. Hold tight and have fun, peoples.

DISCLAIMER: …Nope. Still don't on them.

CHAPTER TWO: Hide and go seek

Starfire was the type of person who played card games or watched Cyborg and Beats Boy play their video games when she wanted to do something fun. The carnival would come every once in a while and some battles against the baddies made her laugh, especially if it was Mumbo or Mad Mob. But this…

"Please, tell me." She started with Robin when he returned. "What is 'hide and go seek'? Is someone missing?"

Cyborg wasn't too good at…explaining…

He sighed, flopping down next to her on the couch. "It's a game where everyone hides save for one person. This person counts to a certain number without looking at anyone, and when they reach that number they have to find everyone. The job of everyone else is to hide somewhere they won't be found."

"Is the Justice League here to play with us then?"

He shook his head. "No, but we're going to hide all the same."

"Are they here to test us?"

Robin looked to Cyborg and shrugged. "Either that or to arrest us…but I wouldn't see why…unless it's the Justice Lords from the parallel dimension, back to "fix' our justice system."

"But they don't have their Flash."

True…that meant it had to be the Justice League from their dimension, not the corrupted Justice Lords who put everything under military power and locked everyone up in their own homes for their "safety".

Okay…it was either an arrest or a test.

Robin and Cyborg sighed heavily, speaking in unison. "A test…"

"What of friends Raven and Beast Boy?"

Both boys froze.

"Is not friend Raven in the shower?"

"Ah, jeez…" Robin muttered under his breath. "Well, we'll have to lock down…and we don't want to get caught. If they do want to catch us, perhaps they'll come in a group."

Cyborg grinned. "Maybe we should split up? Then they'll have to do the same and we can each stop them on our own. After all, this is our turf."

Starfire smiled. "Perhaps I should tell friend Raven of the game?"

Robin nodded. "You tell Raven about all this, and, Cyborg, you tell Beast Boy. I'm going to head into the basement to turn off the main power. We know this tower like the back of our hands—they don't. That's one of our few advantages…"

"But man—what about the Bat? Didn't he help build this place?"

"I'll deal with him."—though he seriously dreaded meeting up with him in the dark—"You just worry about informing Raven and BB about our unwelcomed visitors. Then hide—and don't try and play hero like we usually do. These guys could probably pound us up into mince meat if they wanted too."

And suddenly they hoped that Superman wasn't there too. He could literally do as such…

-C-

BB's room was…well, to say the least, it gave Cyborg a heart attack. It wasn't dirty—not at all, and that's what scared him. It was…empty pretty much. There was a bed and a desk…and when he opened the closet—just clothes.

There was the sound of water dripping on the floor and Cyborg pun around, canon charged and ready.

"Whoa—dude! Don't shoot!"

Cyborg lowered his arm, eyeing BB as he slipped in through the window, soaking wet from head to toe. Morphing into a dog, he shook of the water and transformed back, dry and clean like always.

"Man…your room is…clean? What happened?"

BB rolled his eyes, sitting on the lower bed of the bunk against the wall. "Raven. She blasted my room apart and locked me in here so…I threw everything out. Dude, she needs anger management…"

"And…how come you were wet."

Beast Boy, a finger in his ear to clear out the water, shrugged. "Raven was taking too long so I took a dip in the sea. Saw some sort of jet in the air. Looked like the one batman uses."

"That's probably because it _is_ his…"

That caught the changeling's attention. He gave Cyborg an odd look but listened patiently as he began to explain the situation…

-R-

He wanted to hum. He liked humming when he worked sometimes. But, for the sake of avoiding capture, he stepped silently down the basement stairs and turned on only the red lights. They were used for night jobs, seeing that, no matter how bright, a red light didn't kill your night vision when you turned it off and on. But that wouldn't be for long…

Searching through his utility belt, he slipped out his flash light. He had the growing feeling that he wasn't alone—and he probably wasn't—but shoved it aside as he opened the power box and slipped his flashlight backside into his mouth. Holding it in place, he took a small set of pliers from his belt next and pulled out a few of the wires to the power supplies. Normally he would just flip the switches to kill the power, but anyone from the Justice League could just come back and flip them on again. Robin wanted his team to have a full advantage for whatever this war was about.

Cutting the upstairs light, he closed his eyes before grabbing one of the switches. Closing his eye tight, with one hand he flipped the switch on and then off, and cut the wire then with the other hand. Flipping the switch turned on the high-powered lights in the basement, blinding whoever was down there with him…

Opening his eyes, he switched off his flashlight and quietly crept into the space beneath the stairs…

-St-

Starfire liked some surprises but she had no idea what would happen while they hid in the tower. The last thing she wanted was someone popping out at her in the new darkness of her home. It was pitch black and she was tempted to glow, but…did she really want to look like a beacon to whoever attacked her?

…No.

Licking her lips nervously, she made her way down the hall toward the washroom. Passing her own room, she noticed the door was ajar, a small breeze flowing inside out into the hall around her legs. It smelt of rain from the drizzle outside and that meant the window was open—something she would have to change. The weatherman said a mighty storm was brewing tonight and he had no idea how right he was…

Rolling her eyes at her own stupidity, she placed a hand on the door and pushed it opened—

"EEP!"

Grabbing the doorknob, she slammed the door shut and soared down the hall toward the washroom, bursting in without knocking. There had been two men in her room—one tall and muscular in a red and blue suit, the other just as muscular but a blue-ish green in skin colour... They were facing the window as they closed it gently, both startled when she screamed and slammed the door.

"What are you doing!" Raven snapped, just slipping the two half of her leotard before Starfire turned around to face her. Flicking her cape out furiously she whipped it around her neck and pulled the hood over her wet hair. "Ever hear of knocking?"

Starfire shook her head. "We are not alone in the tower!"

-SM-

"EEP!"

To say the least, the high-pitched yelp scared the hell out of him. The same for Jo'nn, both men spinning around just in time to catch a glimpse of the girl before she slammed the door in fear. Long red hair, blazing green eyes—that was Starfire alright…

Jo'nn shook his head in sympathy. "Just pray she doesn't scream every time she sees you."

"Jo'nn—she's going to warn the whole team!"

His comrade just shrugged, strolling toward the door, opening, and stepping aside to let Superman through first. "Then…go get her."

Easier said than done.

-B-

He should have known Robin would do such a thing. He taught him that anyway—if the criminal can't see you, they can't hit you…very well, anyway, and that little burst of bright light was something Bruce hadn't planned for. Luckily for him, his mask contained night-vision lenses.

Flicking them on, he looked around the dark basement. Robin was no longer at power box, sparks flying from the cut wires. At least he remembered everything Bruce had taught him…but Richard couldn't see in the dark…

Moving quietly behind a stack of crates, he slipped into a crack between two boxes and stared again at the same spot Robin stood last. Bruce had only been blinded for a moment and there weren't too many places for Robin to run and hide in such little time…he had to be…either behind that pile of crates across from Bruce or up the stairs on the balcony catwalk. It led to the Titans ship, something they took on space missions. It would be great place to hide in, especially if he locked the hatches. If he had his grappling hook on him, then it wouldn't be too impossible for him to zip up there in the blast of light and hide around it…

Scowling, h knew his own cover was blown. Robin knew he was there and was watching. He could probably see Bruce anyway from where he stood, so the most logical thing to do was…

Make Robin think he was in the lead.

-GL-

Batman, knowing aback way into the tower, had slid in his own way while John levitated down the side of the tower with the help of his ring. He stopped dead short when the green changeling zipped up into the air from the sea as a bird and landed on the windowsill to his room. Luckily, it was to dark for the boy to see him…

Pressing on his ear communicator, he opened the channel to everyone.

"Why are the lights out?"

"_Robin." _Came Batman's gruff voice. _"He's trying to make this harder for us."_

"So they know what we're up to?"

"_Maybe."_

"Maybe?"

Clark's voice came on next, sounding a little…guilty… _"It's probably my fault. The alien girl saw me and screamed."_

Yeah…he had heard. "Well, at least we know they're no fools."

"_Maybe."_ Batman said again. He was too proud to let a kid get the best of him. _"I'm in the basement with Robin. As long as he doesn't get to the door, he's trapped."_

At least they were getting somewhere.

"Alright then—Flash, where are you?"

"_Huh—oh, me? I'm out in the hall by a door saying…Beast Boy. He's the one I'm after, right, the little transformer guy?..."_

"Yes. Just don't let him get past you. I'm just above the kid's room and I think my guy is in there too, the Cyborg kid…"

"_Yep. He just walked in a short while ago. They know that we're all here anyway—I heard them talking in the main room."_

"Did they see you?"

"_Nope. Too fast."_

He sighed. "Alright then. I bet Wonderwoman and Hawkgirl are having a hay day in the tower without us, so let's get this done fast."

"_You know that one of them is probably going to come on down later on if we're not quick."_

"Then let's show them we're capable of handling a bunch of kids on our own. Green Lantern out."

"_Superman out."_

"_Jo'nn out."_

"_Batman out."_

"_Flash out."_

99…100—Hide and go seek, here they come!...

-A-

Now the good stuff will being. You get to see everyone sneaking around and trying to catch each other—and there's a surprise waiting for you guys coming up soon. Who says the Titans fight easy criminals? They Justice League just doesn't know about them all…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	3. Chapter 3: Ready or not

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Okay, after your older cousins chase you in a forest with water guns in the dead of the night…I got a lot of ideas to write this. You have no idea how inspiring "Murder Tag, Hide and Go Seek" can be for a story like this…honestly…I swear to God…

**Oh—and this is before Birthmark.**

DISCALIMER: ...Darnit—I forgot what to say…Well, you know what I mean.

CHAPTER THREE: Ready or not…

"So…who exactly is all here?"

Starfire shrugged. The most she knew was that the senior hero team of the world was out to get them on their own grounds. But it was like any situation—fight until you win. They had done nothing wrong so why should they fear capture? Perhaps it was…a game…

Raven, still stuck in the washroom with Starfire, began to levitate. There was a moment where Starfire could have sworn she separated from her body to view over the tower but she stood back up in the blink of an eye.

"A little worry…some fright from BB…but nothing hostile. They're not here to capture us…To…"

"Test us?" She suggested, remembering what Cyborg and Robin had said earlier.

Raven nodded. "I guess…perhaps we have been…pretty relaxed. Besides Beast Boy's saving the world from a tofu look alike who used cows to supply energy to their ships….I can't say we've done much saving of the world…"

…That was so true. So far, BB had been really the only one to save the world single handedly. It kind of…amazed them…to a degree…

"What do we do now, friend Raven?"

The girl, although always wary of her emotions, allowed for a small grin to slip past her lips for the briefest of moments. "Now…we escape."

-R-

Bruce knew his charade was up. Robin saw him clear as a bell when he dived beneath the stairs, watching the crates as the Bat maneuvered behind them. Batman, giving in to Robin's small victory, stepped out into the dark and gazed upward toward the Titans ship. Standing on its jets, it took the stairs and the catwalk to get to, something Robin was hiding behind now. And, as he held his breath, he waited for the man to start up the stairs before daring to do anything…

A disk in one hand, he broke it quietly and tossed it onto the step eyelevel to him just as Bruce came up. The man slipped but kept his balance, falling to his knee. Robin almost forgot—Bruce was getting old, but age didn't do a thing to him. He had might as well be Ra's Al Ghul…

"Ah!" robin yelped, stumbling back when an arm reached out to get him through the space on the steps. Bruce, unsuccessful, simply stood, turned, and jumped down the stairs, cape whipping out dangerously behind him as he made his way toward Robin's hiding spot.

Stupid him…he left no space for escape.

But he wasn't ready to give up that quickly.

Just as Batman made his way to the opening under the stairs, Robin was on the ground, back down, slipping easily under the last step. He and Beast Boy were probably the only two small enough to do that and Cyborg once made a comment on it, 'If you can slide through the stairs then you're badly underweight.' Well…he'd worry about that later. Right now escape was his top priority.

The dark Knight leaned in to see if Robin was there and was surprised to see him now running up the stairs to the catwalk. Reaching out a hand, he caught Robin around the ankle and pulled. Hard.

"_Ophf_!" Robin gasped, air knocked out of him as he fell into the stairs. Turning on his side, he stared at his mentor through the railing. It was big enough for the man to slip through onto the stairs and that would be the end of the chase.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, both pausing in action.

"Testing."

Oh…they could have warned them instead of _"ready or not! Here we come!"_

"How many of you are in the tower? What are the rules—if there _are_ any?"

Batman gave him one of those small, all-knowing grins, hand still clenched into a tight fist around Robin's small ankle. "A criminal isn't going to tell you what he can and cannot do. But I will tell you this…It's just like the first time."

"From dusk until dawn…okay…" But still…this was going to hurt, more so him than his former mentor.

Free leg bent at the knee into his chest, Robin aimed and brought the heel quickly into Bruce's face. The moment his other leg was free, he was on his feet and sprinting up the stairs, Bruce not too far behind as he hoped over the railing and started after Robin.

He knew this was just a test and all…but…it was kind of freaky with someone hell bent on capturing you, someone who knew your every move—_taught _you your every move, was hot on your heels and gaining speed as you ran up an endlessly long set of stairs

-Ra-

This was…unusual…Either the League was honestly bored or this test had been something small nagging at the back of their minds for a long while. Unless it was one of Flash's ides…Nah, the League never listened to any of his ides, just like the Titans never took Beast Boy too serious either. They were really just part of the team for an extra hand and…comic relief when, at the right time, could be greatly appreciated…even if you didn't permit yourself to smile…at times…umm…This was awkward.

"Now I can't even think straight." She muttered. She was still levitating and Starfire was still on the floor, back against the door as if to barricade it shut. Calming, she allowed her mind to wander—around the tower, that is. She really couldn't see anything because to do that she would have to merge into someone's body like she once did with Robin, but she could feel and identify all presences in the tower. BB and Cyborg were both in the changeling's room somewhat worried but…Raven could sense a tad bit of excitement in them both, especially Cyborg. Flash and the Green Lantern were near them. She couldn't pin point where but they were relaxed, easy…and each had their mind one of the two boys. Flash seemed to be wondering about BB as GL was wondering about Cyborg…And that was also the same for Superman and Jo'nn who were…exiting Starfire's room. Jo'nn as focused on Raven and Superman…was nervous about Starfire…something about a scream…

She wanted to laugh at the last of the people in the tower. In the basement (probably) were Robin and his mentor. They were moving relatively fast by what she could 'see' and that meant they were probably having a go at it…and Robin was having a panic-attack. He must be in a jam.

"What is it?" Starfire asked quietly, watching as raven stood from when she sat in mid-air.

"They have rules—things that they have to do to make this a fire test." She explained. "They can only go after the person they're assigned to until an hour after they catch them—_if_ they catch them. That—and they only have from dusk until dawn to catch us. They can't hurt us."

Starfire shook her had. "But there was the superb man with them! Can he not crush steel with a single hand?"

Raven lifted an eyebrow. "Can't you?"

The girl took a moment to think…and nodded. "I suppose so…But he is frightening and his people are far better than my race…Tell me, who is he after?"

Oh…this was going to hurt.

"You."

Starfire buried her face in her hands. "Of all the punishments I have received in life, this is by far the horrible"

And it was about to get to worse. The loud pound on the door that nearly shook it off its hinges sent Starfire sliding further into the washroom with a tiny _eep_! It was time to start fighting…or running—at least until they had a plan…

-GL-

"_Please?"_

"No."

"_Please?"_

"No."

"_Please?"_

"No! Wait until their done talking. I think the green guy is nodding off to sleep."

Flash could be so annoying when he was impatient. Maybe he should and try to slow down for once in his life….Scratch that—it was impossible.

"……………"

"Flash?"

"_What? Oh—did I say please yet?"_

John rolled his eyes. It was getting later. Better now that never.

"Alright…On the count of three—"

"_Onetwothree—"_

There was a crash inside the room and the Green Lantern peeked through the opened window to see Flash barge through the door. Beast Boy, who was sitting on the bed, jumped so far up into the air that he nearly hit his head on the ceiling and Cyborg, who was leaning against the wall, fell to the ground.

"Hey guys." Flash grinned, arms crossed as he watched Beast Boy fall to the floor. "Ready for a rumble?"

John wanted to call him an idiot, but as long as he caught Beast Boy he would leave him alone. Now for Cyborg…

-A-

A short one! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH—but I will write more ASAP. My throat is sore and the medicine I took is making me nod off to sleep. Have a wonderful summer guys!

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	4. Chapter 4: Teaming up

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I am soooooooooooooooooo ticked off right now. I really worked hard on the next chapter to this and no matter how hard I looked I couldn't find it…. (_Crying_) and it took me so long to do it. This is…this is…injustice!

DISCLAIMER: Yeah, yeah, my lawyer signed all the papers. I know I don't own anything, not even my own life… (_Sniff, sniff…_)

CHAPTER FOUR: Teaming up

"What do we do now?" She asked, shivering from head to toe despite the heat of the steam.

Raven finished off drying her hair and sighed. "I can sense them around the tower…and it seems like Superman and Martian the Manhunter are on their way down the hall. I say we gather the others and tell them what we know."

"Which is what, friend Raven?"

She grinned—momentarily and quite slightly—but she grinned. "Use they're rules against them."

-Su-

"You're sure they're in there?"

Jo'nn nodded, levitating next to him in the hall. They stood outside the washroom door, listening to their muffled voices hot in conversation. "Yes."

"What the heck are they both doing in there? Aren't there…safer places in this tower of there's to hide?"

"Indeed. That is why their capture should be relatively easy if we keep ahead of the game…Break down the door."

Clark shrugged, pulling back his fist and straining the muscle for a semi-heavy punch. "Sure thing, boss—"

-St-

"EEP!" She screamed and hustled away from the door after the imprint of a fist dented the center. She had not expected them to be so violent in their attack and without any window in the washroom she had no idea where she could go without destroying their home further. Maybe if she bent a floorboard, Cyborg wouldn't be _too_ upset…

Raven sighed, almost on the verge of rolling her eyes after a second punch followed the first. "Please. They must really think lowly of us to think even a single part of this tower is susceptible to easy damage. Come on, Star. The first person on our list is Robin."

"Robin…?" Yes—she had to agree the one person she wanted to stick with now was Robin. "But…"

She didn't have much time to ask how when a hole appeared in the door and Raven grabbed her wrist. Then, engulfed in a blanket of shadows, Raven took her into herself and they snuck intangibly through the floor at a rapid speed, stopping only when they reached the main floor beside the basement door.

Starfire barely had time to recover from the feeling of nothingness when she was suddenly dropped to the floor. She struggled to her feet and watched Raven curiously as she reached for the knob to the basement door.

"In here." Raven explained quickly, Starfire joining her by her side. "Robin's in here—"

And the moment she opened the door, Starfire soaring inside, Robin reached the top of the stairs and collided head-long with the alien girl.

That was one of the few times Star saw stars unnaturally made…

-R-

He felt as though he ran into a freight train traveling at full speed. Or…at least his head felt like that. Neck snapping back, he and Starfire came tumbling down the basement stairs and barely missed the Dark Knight when the man suddenly jumped over the railing. With the help of his grappling hook he made an easy landing, but both Robin and Starfire fell halfway to the basement, coming to a halt where the stairs turned sharply to the right.

"Friend Robin?"

He wasn't sure what was happening now but, as expected, Star had already recovered from the hit and was tending to him. He raised a shaky hand to his forehead and groaned quietly to himself. He could hear and _feel_—unfortunately—just fine, but he was as blind as a bat, bright dots dancing across a black background in his vision.

"Star…" He murmured, reaching out to take a hand. All he heard was her squeak in panic and grab him around the waist from behind, lifting them both high into the air.

Vision returning, he blinked a couple of times and shook his head before he could see clearly. He was nearly touching the ceiling and the metal pipes exposed running just below it when he noticed Bruce starting back up the stairs at a casual pace. Raven was leaning against the basement doorway, rubbing a throbbing forehead as well as she tried to gain balance on her own.

The Titans weren't exactly planning for this.

"Robin—you live!" Starfire exclaimed joyfully, arms wrapping tighter around his waist.

Ribs creaking under the pressure, he gulped down as much air as he most possibly could with a crushed chest and managed to gasp a, "can't…breath…" before Starfire got the message. She loosened her grip generously and the rest of the dots vanished.

"What do we do now?" Starfire asked, staring warily to Bruce, watching the grappling hook in his hand. "What is _he_ doing now?"

"Starfire, fl—"

His warning came a little too late. Bruce had taken aim and fired long before Robin could give the order, the end of the grappling hook circling around his right ankle before catching and tightening when Batman pulled. They descend ten feet before Starfire caught on and started to pull back.

"He is…strong…" Starfire muttered through gritted teeth. She herself was strong in muscle, but flying was another power on its own. "…he is…_winning_."

"Hold on, Star!" He gasped, leg aching from being pulled in two different directions. He reached to his utility belt and took out his own grappling hooks, aiming for the pipes. Taking a shot, the end wrapped around one of the larger, sturdier pipers before he handed it to Starfire, one arm still around his waist. "Pull on this while I work to cut his line—and what is Raven doing."

Said girl was levitating, seeming to be fighting a battle of her own. She was chanting her usual mantra, eyes glowing white and hair flowing around her head like she was in water.

"Jo'nn…" Robin groaned before reaching for a birdarang. Holding the sharp side out, he bent forward as far as he could and managed to bend his knee somewhat as he sawed away at the rope.

-Ra-

She could see Jo'nn in her own mind, somewhere still on the upper floors, meditating himself. They were at a war, each trying to break into the other's mind as to take control. It would all be over for her if she allowed him to break into even something as simple as a memory. Although she was a demon with mind powers greater than many, his whole alien civilization lived off their powers. He was skilled beyond her days and far more experienced then she would ever be.

_Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zinthos. Azara—_

'_Are these the words you use for concentration?'_

She couldn't answer. She had to focus on the darkness of her mind.

_Azarath metrion zinthos—_

'_I find pictures, scents and sounds allow for the mind to remain more focused. Words can easily be forgotten or mixed up, thus forcing you to pause and try to correct yourself.'_

_Azarath metrion zinthos—_

'_But I see…these words are really states of being and places from your home world. What does this place look like?'_

Beautiful. Tall towers and blue skies. White birds and symbols of our—

_**Azarath metrion zinthos!—**_

'_Why are you here then? Why leave such a beautiful place behind when it is the image of perfection, paradise?'_

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

'_And what of your friends? While you escape to the back of your mind, your friends are in desperate need of your assistance. The human leader, Robin, is just about torn in two. His body strains at unbelievable levels while two beings, both stronger than himself, pull him in different directions.'_

_Robin…AZARATH metrion zinthos. Azarath metrion zin—_

'_Perhaps your team is not exactly a team…'_

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

-BB-

He didn't know what to say. Well, to say the _least_, he was scared out of his wits. There was the Flash, bursting in through his bedroom door like Cyborg said he would. Oh well…might as well go along with the tin man's plan.

Quiet casually, Beast Boy walked over to his desk, opened the top drawer, and took out a piece of gum. This he plopped into his mouth and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Hey."

Flash…confused…arched an eyebrow behind his mask. "Um…hey."

The Green Lantern, who was levitating outside the window, stepped inside and gazed around eth room just as confused as Flash. Neither BB nor Cyborg, now taking a seat on the edge of BB's bed, looked troubled in the least.

Flash straightened and began rubbing the back of his head. "Uh…you guys _do_ know why we're here…don't you?"

"Yep." BB grinned, chewing his gum loudly as he jarred his thumb at his own chest, puffing it out to look braver. "And we're going to be the ones taking _you_ down. Right, Cy?"

Cyborg crossed his arms and shrugged calmly. "Y'all hear that? The Teen Titans are taking down the Justice League. Just don't let the government or baddies here that otherwise y'all be outta business."

"Isn't that being a little arrogant?" The Green Lantern asked, still eyeing the two, and then shared a side-glance with Flash. "Where do you guys get off thinking you're the ones doing the capturing?"

"Easy." BB waved off the question and gave Flash a wise-act stare. "How much should I bet that you and me are a pair?"

Flash's eyes narrowed as he glared at the little green changeling. "Yeah, we are. And I might be annoying a lot of the time but even I don't act as arrogant as that. What's your game, kid?"

"Game?" BB straightened, still grinning. "Nah—more like art. You and I are going to paint the sky green."

"Huh?"

"Never mind. I just heard that somewhere in a movie once."

"Oh…wait—"

Beast Boy jumped forward toward him. "Too late!" And vanished just as Flash opened his mouth to say something else.

Even the Green Lantern was amazed by this, turning to Cyborg in his confusion. "He can't do that…he's a transformer of animate beings. He just can't morph into thin air."

"Y'all need to use your imagination a little more. "Then he grinned like BB usually did. "He's an artist working on his canvas. He's not thin air, but he was in it a minute ago."

"Then where is he?"

Cyborg turned his gaze on Flash and shook his head sympathetically. "Dude…you should have never opened your mouth."

Flash's hand shot to his throat and his eyes widened in shock. "No…he didn't!"

"Sorry."

"…I think I'm going to be sick—" And he bolted from the room, leaving Green Lantern in all his confusion as to what he was going to do. In all honesty, he expected the two of them to head tails and run when they popped out of nowhere to grab him. This was…new.

Cyborg, still proud of the first half of his plan, returned his attention to the remaining League member. "If that gave you a surprise, just wait and see what I have planned for you…"

-SM-

He started his way down the levels the less destructive way and was startled when he heard Flash running past his at the speed of light, yelling frantically.

"_I ate one! I accidentally ate one!"_

"Ate what?" Clark called after his teammate. "A bug?"

"_The green kid!"_

Oh…WHAT!

-A-

Down in the basement the Titans are having a little trouble but up on the main floors it's the League members facing a few problems. Wondering who's closer to winning? Wanna know? Good. Tell me when you do because I have no idea. I'm just watching them beat each other up so I'll tell you what I see. Have fun until then.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	5. Chapter 5: Surprises

The League's hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Blast is next on my list, but for now I'm sticking with this. I haven't worked on it in a while and I'm still waiting for an update from my favorite story (Shara Shima…I'm warning you…). Oh well. On with the world…

CHAPTER FIVE: Surprises

Having little time left before something was disconnected, Robin slipped a birdarang from his utility belt and bent at the waist at reach Batman's grappling hook. "Be ready…" He warned Starfire as he rubbed the blade against the cord. Just before Batman could take out his second grappling, the cord snapped and the two teen heroes went soaring toward the roof, hitting it with an awkward thud. They fell three feet before Starfire regained her composure and even then they could barely see.

"Sooner or later I'm going to get a concussion." Robin muttered, touching the crown of his head gingerly. "Next time give me a head's-up when you're not ready, Star."

"I am…" She drifted a little to the left before she straightened, shaking the dots in her head away. "…most regretful, Friend Robin. I shall remember to hand out the 'head's-up' should this event ever happen again."

"You talk too much." Batman said stoically.

Robin frowned. "Yeah, you communicate with your team."

"And what if your opponent—"

"EEK!"

Robin gasped for breath when Starfire began crushing his waist again. Gazing over his shoulder at her face he could see her head turned toward the door. Slipping past Raven, Superman entered the room.

"It is the man from Pluto!" Starfire squeaked, cowering behind Robin as best she could, tightening her grip.

"Pluto?" The man inquired. "Where did you hear that?"

"EEK! He speaks!"

Robin sighed, squirming in her arms to loosen the vice-like grip. "Yeah, a lot of people tend to do that. Now, could you slack up a bit? I'm dying here."

She blushed and did as he requested, still positioning them in the air so that Robin was between her and the other alien. There was no doubt that they would have to fight sooner or later…Either that or outsmart one another, and who knew how that would turn out.

"Okay…could we maybe start this from the beginning?" Robin sighed. "Starfire, put me down. I have something to deal with." He glared down at Bruce, and then whispered something else to Starfire. "Find BB and Cyborg—stick with them when you do until I come to get you…"

There was something he noticed. Neither of the two superheroes was attacking them. Bruce was really only coming after Robin and Superman was really only paying any attention to Starfire…

"Are you guys assigned to us or something?"

When neither answered. He grinned.

"Starfire, change of plan…"

-G-

He was still pretty amazed and surprised at the show of Beast Boy getting eaten by Flash. The man deserved a good scare every now and then, but eating a kid…that might take therapy to get over if he accidentally swallowed him whole.

"You guys are crazier then some of the villains we fight." The Lantern muttered.

Cyborg shrugged. "Hey, you're _weirder_ than some of the villains we fight. Ever gone up against a rouge magician or a wacked-out British headmaster?"

He had to grin at that comment. "That's actually why we're here. Seeing that you get such childish opponents, we just wanted to make sure you could handle something big."

The boy frowned. "Obviously you've never met Mumbo or Mad Mob."

"Can't say that I have."

"Whatever—hey, BB. I think Flash is long gone by now."

The Green Lantern hesitated when he heard that. He was even more surprised when Beast Boy materialized beside him, choking on his gum before he spat it out.

"DUDES! Never-ever-ever-ever-EVER chew on gum when you morph into bacteria! You will regret it until the end of your days…"

"I'll remember that the next time I can morph…" Cyborg yawned. "Now, are we going to get this done or not?"

John just stared between the two of them. He was relieved to discover Flash hadn't actually eaten anyone, but seeing a bunch of kids organized you was something….unique and slightly frightening. It was even harder to believe considering that Cyborg and Beast Boy were supposed to be the jokesters of the teenaged team.

"You guys…actually have a back up plan for events like this?" He asked.

BB stared at the ceiling, unsure of how to answer. "Uh…not exactly. But it's like Rob says—when you can't do something alone…_team-up and take down_…"

Then they did something even creepier…

They advanced…

-MM-

_Azarath metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos…_

Her will power was admirable. She ignored his voice to the best of her ability and probably couldn't even see him. She was in a world of her own design…her mind, levitating upon a cone of cold had ground floating in space. There was more earth, paths really, leading around her space around and about, odd red-eyed ravens watching her silently at a bay. She sat crossed-legged in the air, hands poised to connect and eyes shut tight as she continued to chant her mantra.

He stood before her in her space, just watching…like the ravens.

'_What created such an image in your mind?'_ He asked her mentally. _'So dark and desolate…this is nothing like the world I saw in your mind. This is…your own creation, your punishment for what?'_

_Guilt…_

_--Azarath metrion zinthos! Azarath metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos…_

'_Guilt…something was destroyed because of you?"_

_Azarath Metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos, azarath metrion zinthos—_

_--yes—_

_--azarath metrion zinthos…_

'_The world I saw…was that it…Do you feel guilty because you have or will bring upon their destruction? Is that why you came to earth? You came to fight for justice to pay for the guilt?'_

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

'_And what is your greatest fear?'_

Perhaps he shouldn't have asked that…or maybe it was for the best that he did. A shadow rose up behind her, colossal in size, and sets of red eyes opened up to stare him down before the darkness took a form. A giant demon of sorts gazed down at the both with pure hatred and fury.

'_Your father?'_

'_Yes…'_

Then she was awake, standing in the entrance to the basement. Spinning around she faced him and gasped in surprise at the sight of him. "You…you pulled me out of my mind…"

It was a statement rather than a question, but he nodded anyway. "The mind is a powerful place, but it is also the most fragile part of a person. To bury ones hopes and fear into the back of the mind for too long can only breed insanity—regardless of what your powers are."

Her eyes darkened, taking his words only as an insult. "Do you think I'm unaware of everything? I've been doing this for years—"

"And look where it has brought you."

Her mouth gaped…She fought to find words, but she was taken by his answer.

"How long have your hidden in the shadows which threaten to swallow you whole? Demon you may be, but you are human in heart and soul and humans need each other. While you hide from your friends and try to fight the battle on your own, you kill yourself." He sighed. "And if you died, don't you think a part of them will die with you?"

"I…I never thought about that much. This is something I have to fight on my own…"

"And would you encourage everyone in your team to fight their own battles on their own and in the dark?"

"…No."

Every part of her body-language told him of her exhaustion. The mind could be a wearisome bother when you weren't prepared to deal with it properly.

"Perhaps your mind is not the right plane for our battle…" He reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder and startled her. But she didn't pull away as she was driven into his mind with him.

'_This…this…' _Her eyes widened at the sight and she stepped back—into him. But she didn't turn around. Her gaze was locked on the scenery.

_This is my world…_

-A-

Sorry to cut this short. I have to get going for practice and I know that when I come back I'll be too tired to care about writing more. So…let's leave it here for now…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	6. Chapter 6: New variables

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Do you ever feel like you've been singing the same song for too long? Well, that's how I feel. I've been trying to write another chapter for any of my stories and I just keep coming up with blanks. I have to tell you, I found out I have MWB Syndrome. MWB stands for Major Writer's Block. I've tried working on my two favorites and I just can't keep up with it. And it's driving me insane because I need to get the grand finales together…Darn. Oh well. I knew I had to get working on something so it turns out to be this one. At least here I have many choices of who I want the POV to be from…

**Important:** This happens after that episode where everyone in the JL found out each other's identities because they were sort of on the run.

DISCLAIMER: I haven't said this in a while, so I'll refresh everyone's memories. I don't TT, JL or anything related to them. This is just a little something I worked up out of boredom.

CHAPTER SIX: New variables

Diana was mildly upset. Yes, the Watch Tower was quiet, and yes, there was nothing interesting or important going down on earth, but the guys should've stayed back in case of an emergency. If anything big was going to happen, she doubted it, but getting stuck back with all sorts of other superheroes in the Tower was as boring a day as she could imagine. Shayera was none too pleased either. Who wouldn't be?

"Picking on kids."

Diana, sitting in the cafeteria, sipped from her juice and glanced across the table at Hawk Girl. "Say that again."

"They get bored and the only thing they can think of to do is pick on a bunch of kids." Drawing circles on the tabletop with her finger, Shayera stared up at her companion. "What a lame excuse just to get out of the tower."

"They say they're just testing them. Seeing if they're rusty or not."

"I doubt that." The woman muttered. "The Teen Titans have defended their name time and time again. Bruce just wants to get even with his sidekick and they all want to show the kids that they'll always be second best compared to the adult league."

That was a harsh way of putting it…But yeah that summed it up.

"Well, that leaves only two outcomes."

Shayera paused.

"They either kill each other before tomorrow morning or we come down and set things right."

"How do you suppose we do that?"

Diana smiled. "We sneak in and help the Titans. The Titans will beat the guys and then they'll stop boasting for at least a week or two. We have our fun _and_ get even with the guys."

"Sounds like fun…" Shayera leaned back from the table, entertaining the thought in the back of her mind. "You know, that isn't such a bad idea. There are plenty of people here in case there's an emergency, and we can still get to pretty much anywhere on earth if we're called up."

"Exactly. Besides, when was the last time we got to do something on our own?"

"Can't remember…"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

-R-

Falling from up high, he caught them off guard. Starfire, behind him, plummeted down straight for Batman while Robin aimed his right leg out toward Superman. He knew the man was smart and fast, but perhaps the change of plan would catch him off guard for the time being.

"Head's up!" He shouted, landing graceful just below where Superman should have been hovering. The man moved in the air and turned to stare at the young man as he spun where he now stood and chucked three birdarangs. All three were dodged, of course, but the third one exploded to the left of his face.

"Nice shot." Clark said. He raised a hand to the small burnt mark on his face. "That wasn't too bad."

"Thanks—Star!"

Starfire, still in the air but landing kick after kick at Batman's head, paused in her action and stopped to give him thumbs up. "I am to put the plan of action….into _action_?"

"Yeah…something like that…"

"A of the O.K.!" She squealed in delight, dashing around Bruce just as he pulled a batarang from the utility belt with his free hand. In his other one was the grappling hook, aimed high to avoid any attack she delivered. Contradicting to what he had planned, she didn't aim to hurt him at all as he sped up toward the ceiling. Instead, reaching out at the last moment, she zipped past him and stole the utility from his waist.

"Good job, Star." Robin cheered, grinning as she did a small spin high above in the air where Bruce couldn't reach her.

"Isn't that cheating?" Clark asked, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow. "You stole his only weapons."

"Unarm your opponent." Robin answered, waving to Star. "Okay, Star. You're home free."

"As if. Batman isn't her opponent."

"Yeah, but you are…"

Starfire, now clam and unafraid of the other alien, flew her way over to them and paused a few feet away from him. Then she extended the belt out to him.

"What are you…doing…?" Clark began. Then he almost fell from the air, steadying himself and staring around dizzily. "What….you still have kryptonite in your belt?"

Bruce, extending himself down from the rafters, didn't answer. He stood still for a moment on the ground until he stared up at Robin, eyes narrow. "That's pretty cheap." He finally muttered. "You should have left the girl to figure out her opponent on her own."

Frowning himself, Robin crossed his arms and watched as Superman lowered to the ground, falling to a knee as Starfire followed. Bruce couldn't help him. Game rules. "This is a team. If we don't help each other out, then we're doomed. We live on trust." He then turned to face his old mentor. "Too bad you can't trust your own team mates. Kryptonite? I always figured you'd be better off on your own anyway."

Bruce growled and Robin grinned. Superman gasped for breathe and Starfire began to hesitate.

"Is this hurting you?" She asked meekly, lingering on the thought that she should stop.

"Hold onto the belt, Star." Robin instructed. "You don't have to wave him down anymore. Just watch to make sure no one takes the belt from you and he won't be able to touch you. Then—"

He was interrupted when the alarm blared and a red light pattern flashed across the walls. Everyone paused in action and listened.

Slipping his communicator from his belt, Robin turned it on and sighed. "What does it say, Cy?"

-C-

Aw…come on. Right when they were having fun, too. This had to be the lousiest timing in the universe.

Lifting his arm, he did a small scan of the city and stared at Robin on the small screen. "The museum. Looks like Mad Mod and Mumbo are teaming up."

"_The museum? What could they possibly want that's there?"_

"I don't know…" He shrugged. "Art?"

"Nice answer." BB muttered. His eyes were pinned on the Green Lantern, just waiting for him to make an unexpected move. "Do the villains have cameras in this place, or something? They always pick the worst time to steal or destroy something."

"Be thankful it isn't Slade…"

"_No kidding."_ Robin sighed, pausing to think things over. _"Well, we can't just let the go on a rampage. This is going to have to wait until we're finished in the city."_

"_This I've got to see."_ BB broke a grin when he heard Batman in the background.

"_Then it's agreed. Okay you guys. Let's get this done so the day can end already."_

-Ra-

The blaring alarm brought her back to reality just as she began to explore the strange alien planet. It was…amazing. There weren't any words she could use to describe it, and, what grieved her most about seeing it, was that it too was gone like her own home.

"Perhaps, this can wait for now." Martian the Manhunter said. He stood in front of her, both of them having to move aside as everyone in the basement filed out and made their way toward the front entrance, Robin and Star in the lead. "It seems as though you have a job to do."

"Yeah…I guess I do…" She raised a shaky hand to her head and stared at the floor. "That was…I mean…Don't you miss all that?"

Turning his back to her, Jo'nn followed after Superman and Batman. Superman looked a little shaky and the Dark Knight was unmistakably upset about something, making her wonder what happened, but Jo'nn appeared emotionless.

"…All the time."

-F-

He stopped running a long time ago, leaning against the kitchen counter in sheer shock as the alarms went off. He ate a kid…he actually ate someone….But it wasn't his fault—right?

"Come on, Flash." It was John. They were all making their way down the hall toward the front entrance, the Titans in a made dash to get their job done. "You didn't eat him."

"Yes I did…" He ran after his friend and sighed. "you saw what happened."

"Trust me…" John stepped aside when a short green boy pressed his way between them and caught up to his companions. "You didn't."

Sighing in great relief, he wiped the imaginary perspiration from his forehead. "Thank God…I'm going to kill him!"

That was the last time he opened his big mouth.

-A-

To be continued, folks. I have to figure out what's going to happen with the MM and Mumbo. Victor wants Slade to make an appearance, but I'll leave that up to you guys. Right now I'm just fine with the crazy British headmaster and the rouge magician. I just got back from the farm and now I'm really tired so, see you later.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	7. Chapter 7: Deadly situations

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

**Important: **_(Sinks away from computer desk)_ You're confusing me! Okay, nine of you want old one-eye to make an appearance and four of you are absolutely against the idea. The rest of you…_(eyes narrow)_ I don't think you even read what I'm saying. That's okay though. I'll just ignore you…(joking). Okay, so I have a dilemma. What do I do? I solve it and this is how I'm going to do it…Slade will make an appearance, but the story line and major plot will still revolve around the TT and the JL at war with each other. The most Slade will do is make a lot of trouble. In other words, you probably won't see Slade kidnapping or nearly killing anyone…_(starts thinking again)_ Hmmm...-.-?…Or will he…

PS: Oh—and one last thing. Victor (if you know him, and most of you do because he's my cousins and pops up everywhere I go (_glares at older cousin_)) made up his own account called **The Brothers of SilverCross51.** He would've used his real penname which happens to be **Victor Van Heiring**, but since he says that I own his new account too, he made up a group name (although I don't know why he just doesn't call us "Cousins" instead of "Brothers". If he ever tells you were brothers, ignore him because he's making a list of how many people he can confuse in a year (stupid, I know)). I'm really just going to edit what he writes, put in my two-cents for the introduction scripts and then I'll let his little imagination run amuck until he drags us all into oblivion…He's dangerous. Beware…

PPS: Yay! I have part of my writer's block gone for Blast. Expect an update the next time I get my hands on a computer.

DISCLAIMER: Own it? No way.

CHAPTER SEVEN: Deadly situations

A group of tourist huddled in the corner of the newest gallery, a display of abstract art both in painting form and sculpture hanging here and there for show. Tied up together in rolls of colourful handkerchiefs, they struggled helplessly in silence as two of the city's craziest criminals set to work on the museum. And although they roamed free in a room filled with some of the most valuable artifacts in the world, nothing was stolen…yet.

"What's this supposed to be?" Mumbo asked, pointing his wand in the general direction of a glass figurine propped up on a stand. It was yellow and see-through, held together by wires and string.

"Looks like a duck to me." Mad Mob commented, somehow young again, poking his cane at it so it wobbled on the stand. One of the men, the director of the museum, shouted out a muffled plea to 'stop' behind his gag before Mad Mob decided to listen. "At least it looks nice."

"It looks like someone didn't care what they were making. Part of it's a darker yellow than the other half."

"Could be the lighting."

"Could be."

"_This is what you do in you're free time?_ I think you need a new hobby."

Both villains gave a start and spun around on Q, ready for the appearance of the Teen Titans.

"Well, if it isn't—" Mumbo stopped halfway through his sentence and scratched the side of his head. "…I know you really hate us, but did you really have to go and call down the big league?"

Robin's left eye twitched.

"We're just here to watch really, add in a kick or two if it's needed..." Flash said, standing behind the group. But then he was beside the tied up prisoners, setting them free. "Well, except for these guys anyway..."

"Bloody colonists, you have no idea what fair game is, do you?" Mad Mob muttered. But he shrugged it off, tapping his cane twice on the ground. "Doesn't matter. Time for class, duckies!"

Batman's eyes narrowed, side-glancing behind his mask at the Titans. "_Duckies_?"

Starfire giggled.

"Titans…just go." Robin sighed.

And then they were off.

The group came forward at the same time, the Titans in front. Mad Mob tapped the ground twice again and then a trap, set up earlier, went off. Being the illusionist that he was, it began with a set of mirrors lodged up on the roof, turning to refract the spotlight toward the center of the room. Everyone, aside from the two criminals, was momentarily blinded. When they opened their eyes…

The Green Lantern blinked a couple of times, baffled by the sudden switch of scenery. "The museum's gone. How'd he…" Reaching out a hand, he touched one of the brick walls which surrounded them from all sides. Sure enough, it felt real. "This can't be real."

"That's where all the fun comes in." Cyborg said wearily. Judging by the looks of things, they were in a giant maze, the ceiling opening up to the vast darkness above.

Ravens started levitating around the walls and stopped at the first entrance out to a walkway. Sighing heavily to herself, she voiced her worst suspicion. "We're in his hat again."

The JL paused.

"So…" Flash zipped around each of the walls, knocking on them every then and again when he stopped. "We're in some guy's hat? You mean that magician's hat?"

"Yes."

"And you've gotten out before?"

"Do you really need me to answer that question?…" Raven distanced herself away from the Flash…

'_Don't droop, duckies. It's all fun and games from here on out!'_

Mad Mob's voice echoed through-out the entire maze, seemingly coming from above, below and anywhere else all at once. The heroes readied themselves, powers charged or weapons ready at hand, but they had nothing to aim at…yet. The game was on pause until they had someone to actually fight against.

'_Now for the rules. It's really simple—the winner gets out!'_

"We're fighting each other?" BB asked dully. "Dude—that's exactly what we were doing before we came after you!"

'_Really?' _It was Mumbo's voice now. _'Good. Now you get to find out who's the best out of the bunch. All that's left are the teams…'_

Reality switched on them. The ground, which was also black, seemed intangible to Flash, Starfire and Beast Boy as they plummeted down into a dark abyss. Out of those left, gravity switched for Superman, Batman, Robin and Raven as they suddenly "fell" upward. Jo'nn, who tried to follow Flash's group tried unsuccessfully to phase through the floor and the Green Lantern, who started to fly toward those members who flew away, crashed into an invisible barrier which now became the ceiling.

"Yeah…that tends to happen." Cyborg said, arms crossed as he waited for his other two teammates to take a break. "You won't find them that way. Ya' all have to go along with the game in the beginning. Mumbo controls reality in his hat."

Jo'nn paused, trying to focus. "…I can't contact them. My mind is blocked."

"I guess you're right…" GL turned to Cyborg. "Now what? We just find our way through this maze?"

"Basically? Mumbo and Mad Mob like to gloat. They'll show up sooner or later just to annoy us, and that's usually the best time to attack."

"Sounds easy enough, but…" GL started forward toward the only exit into the maze. Three steps into the labyrinth, a sudden beeping sound sped up, emitting from beneath his foot.

He barely had enough time to jump back, avoiding the small explosion which could have taken his foot with it.

"No problem." He said. "We just fly—"

'_You're welcome to try.' _Came Mumbo's voice once again. _'But I can't guarantee it'll work."_

The Green Lantern didn't answer. He frowned and focused on his ring…trying to fly…

"How—"

"Told ya. He controls the reality here." Cyborg explained once again. Then he turned to Jo'nn. "Chances are, you won't be able to fly either."

"Then why doesn't he just destroy us?" Jo'nn asked. "He could crush us or burn us or drown us. If reality belongs to him in this realm, why doesn't he just get rid of you while he has the chance."

"Because…" Cyborg stepped past the two of them and started off bravely into the maze, so far safe from the mines. "Things aren't that simple. It's never easy for anyone…"

-F, ST, BB-

They were falling, screaming as they went…

…still falling…

…and still falling…

…and falling…

…until they hit semi-hard ground. They didn't bounce or anything, but they didn't break anything either. Dizzy and sore from the rough landing, they weren't exactly happy but at least they were alive.

"Wow…that's the hardest fall I've taken in years." Flash muttered, lying on his back like others were. When he tried to sit up, something sticky held onto his back. "Hey, what is this stuff?"

It looked like mud, but in a lighter shade of brown. Flash successfully sat up, as did Starfire and Beast Boy, but none of them could stand due to the sticky substance. Quite the opposite. They were sinking.

"Are we going to drown in this stuff?" BB asked, morphing into a bird. His wings only stuck to the same sticky material and ended him up on his back once he morphed back to his humanoid form.

Starfire yanked at her hair, which was partly stuck, and somehow managed to free just that. "I believe it is called the sand of quick."

"Umm…usually it's not so sticky…" Flash commented, still trying to pry himself free. "At least in quick sand you can float. Quicksand's just a lot of sand in a lot of water."

"You can float in the sand of quick?"

"If this is quicksand, then yeah, but you'd need something like a stick to slid under your hips. I doubt that's going to work anyway."

"Dude!" Beast Boy looked surprised. "I thought you were an airhead."

"No…" Flash frowned. "I'm just hyperactive and a little absent-minded. But the feeling's mutual, thank you very much."

"Just watch." BB muttered. "I'll be the one to find a way out."

Starfire shrieked, sinking an inch lower. "Then perhaps we should hurry! I do not like this sand! I hope the others are not in such a situation…"

'_Not quite.'_ Came Mad Mob's voice from above. _'But they'll be panicking soon too. Good luck!'_

"Good luck." Flash growled. "Yeah right…"

-Sp, B, R, Ra-

They had slowed down after a bit, but now they were in a large tunnel leading straight off to an unknown destination. Lights lined the tunnel and illuminated their journey. Raven and Superman, both trying to grab one of the other heroes in an attempt to fly back the way they came, found that their powers were useless. They were just too far from the sides of the tunnel to grab onto anything either. They just had to wait.

Raven, meditating as they went, sent off part of her spirit ahead to figure out what waited for them at the end. It was going to be nothing good, that was for sure, but perhaps they could plan for it…

Raven, concentrating hard, suddenly gasped. Robin was closet to her, his arm grabbed by the demoness tightly as she discovered what they were headed for.

"Fans." She said.

"They're going to dice us up?" He asked.

"Yes—but there are ropes. I don't know how to describe it…The ropes are there for us to grab hold of, but none of them look strong enough to hold for long."

"Grappling hooks!" He reached toward his waits "I forgot that we can—what?"

His belt was gone.

Robin stared behind him at Batman and Superman.

"You gave mine to your teammate." Batman said stoically. "We don't have any of our weapons."

'_Sorry, Boy Wonder.'_ Mumbo called from nowhere. _'It's only fair, seeing that he doesn't have anything to use. Besides, now you can use you're brilliant minds.'_

"This is just insane." Superman growled. "Why don't you try something up front and in person?"

'_I wasn't born yesterday. The last time I made an 'in-person' appearance, _(Alex: I'm referring to Titananimals—the episode) _I was beaten by a bunny.'_

Raven couldn't stop herself fast enough from grinning.

'_Have fun, though. It's about to get pretty hot in here. I hope you don't mind if I leave the fan on?'_

His laughter faded as they group saw the fan up ahead. True to what raven said, there were ropes tied from one side of the tunnel to another, crisscrossing for anyone to grab hold of. Batman and Superman each caught one, Robin and Raven falling closer to the fan then they did. Robin finally caught hold of one, grabbing hold of Raven's arm before she could fall further. The fan pulled them closer, the ropes slowly giving way at the ends. Robin's gave way the furthest, drawing them closer to the fan by a foot before it stopped.

"Just hold on, Raven." Robin instructed, grinding his teeth from the pull on his arms. "Her hand was starting to slip from his grip. "Just hold on…"

-A-

As you can see, this story quite a ways to go. I'm working on my Blast chapter as I speak (in my book, of course) and I'll get to type it up as soon as my older sister is finished with the computer. If not by today, then I'll try to finish it on the school computers. See you around.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	8. Chapter 8: Just relax

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Hay, watcha know…I'm not dead. (Sigh) But I'm sure that's not going to stop you from chucking all those witty remarks at me about how tardy I've been later. Well…God is God and I am not—I took a very long vacation and I'm sorry. But you have to admit, it's hard updating on a regular basis…

DISCLAIMER: Some day I'll find a way to defeat this…

CHAPTER EIGHT: Just relax…

"So…who do you bet on?"

Mumbo tapped his chin. "Hmm…I think the Bat's team. They have all the leaders."

"I don't know. The one with Flash and then the one with the Green Lantern both have something akin to a plan of action. They might _'out-do'_ the _'un-out-do-able'_."

"Fat chance." He scoffed. "But if it was a battle between the kids and the adults, who do you think would win?"

Mad Mob paused in consideration. "Hmm…in a world like this? I'd have to say the kids…"

"…We'll see."

-GL, J, C-

It took nearly forever to get through the maze. None of them could fly, Jo'nn couldn't faze through walls and the explosive floor made everything oh so much '_fun_' for the highly irritated group of young and old super heroes. And if that wasn't enough to make their day, they kept running into dead ends.

Well…at least no one blew up yet. They had somehow made it this far without a single scratch to speak of.

"Any idea how long we've been in here?" The Lantern asked, staring up at the current 'dead-end' wall. It seemed so much larger than the rest…

Cyborg, having a timer built into his arm, stared down at his wrist and side. "…Watch froze."

"Is it the magician's doing?"

"Probably…" He walked up to the wall and placed his hand on it. At first he hoped it was just an illusion, but no…it was as solid as everything else. "Everything is his doing here."

"But we've taken every turn." Jo'nn pointed out. "For this to be a true game shouldn't there be a possible way out?"

"Yeah…there is. The problem is: Mad Mob and Mumbo are playing tricks with our minds. They'll probably make an exit that's invisible or something. They made one, but they made it so that we wouldn't choose it…"

"And you're sure of this?" The Lantern had to as skeptically. Raising an eyebrow, he turned away from the wall and started back down the way they came, careful to step where he knew he'd be safe. "Let's go back."

"You don't believe me—do you?"

The three of them fell silent…Then the Green Lantern turned to stare at Cyborg and shrugged apologetically. "I'm sorry, kid. But—"

"But _nothing_ man. The only reason we got into this mess was because you didn't trust us in the first place. You think because you've saved the world the most times, that makes you the king of the world?"

"No."

"Then what's up with the Justice League and their attitude? We might not be old fogies like the rest of ya, but we learned to fight like you at a younger age. How old were you when you decided to save the world. What kind of experience did you have under your belt? We've probably got nothing like what you have, but at least we can keep up."

Neither man said anything.

Then Cyborg frowned

"I've got it."

Jo'nn stared between the two. "Got what?"

Cyborg didn't reply. He simply strode up to the Green Lantern and stepped on one of the explosive squares.

-F, BB, St-

"I do not want to die in this mess!" Starfire shrieked, panicking as she sunk lower. "What will become of our bodies?"

Flash raised an eyebrow. "We're about to die, and you're worried that someone won't find your body?"

"She's an alien. She probably has some sort of burial ritual that has to be fulfilled."

The group, despite the desperate situation, had stayed afloat for longer than any of them expected. Of course, the prospect of drowning in the sticky mass of _mud_ wasn't exactly a pleasant thought, but at least they had time enough to think. Their descent was slow and that gave them time to make up a plan…Only, they hadn't actually made one _yet_.

Flash tried numerous times to run in the muck, thinking that if he moved fast enough he could break his legs free from the sludge…to no avail. Starfire wasted all her energy in trying to fly, pulling the goop up with her as she began to rise…before it sling-shot her back into the mud and snuck her in deeper. BB, on the other hand, gave up trying to morph into different types of animals and gave up to lodging on his back. All in all, he had sunk the farthest. The most that showed was a bit of his chest, his face, and part of his ears and chin.

"I give up…there's just no way to get out of this stuff."

BB shrugged—mentally. "I'm sorry to hear that, Flash."

"Yeah right. At least I didn't give up as easy as you did."

"Who said I gave up?"

"…You're body language, perhaps?"

"Nah…" He grinned. "I call this _diving_!"

And, without hesitation, he took in a deep breathe and pulled himself completely under.

"I call that _suicide_." Flash yelled. In natural response to his drowning, he dove head first under the muck (finding it terribly easy to do) and fully submerged himself to save the little green nitwit.

Starfire gazed around herself…and shrugged. "As Robin once said, 'what the heck.'." And dunked under to follow her comrades.

-Sp, B, R, Ra-

Arms protesting painfully, Robin cringed in pain. If not for the fact that he was holding onto Raven as well, then maybe his arms wouldn't feel like someone was ripping them off, but he didn't loosen his grip and Raven made the effort to _try_ and catch one of the other side ropes…with no luck whatsoever.

Batman, used to tight situations such as these, allowed the force of the wind to pull him slowly closer to the fan—and the teen heroes. He _climbed_ to different ropes in the difficult task of trying to reach them as Superman used his inhuman strength to bang at the side walls of the tunnel. So far he was making slow progress, nothing but dents visible to brag of his minor success. But hey…what else was there to do?

"Glad I was an acrobat…" Robin muttered to himself, shifting his eyes from Raven to Batman. "How's it going?"

"The ropes are farther placed apart the closer you get to the fans. If I had my grappling hook, then this would be an entirely different story…" How he hinted at Robin's mistake of disarming him only enraged the teens.

"If _you_ hadn't come here, then this would be an entirely different story." Raven answered, finding it hard not to frown. "You didn't exactly give us a heads-up when you decided to attack us."

"Then how would it be a test?"

"Tell us that some time next month you plan on barging in on us? We're a lot busier than you give us credit for."

Superman chuckled. "I doubt that."

"You're a lot cockier than some of the criminals we put up with, you know that?"

Both men didn't have an answer to Robin's witty remark.

Raven squeezed Robin's wrist a little harder and he looked at her in fear she was losing her grip. To his surprise, she was grinning.

"Something funny?" He whispered.

"Yes…" Her smile disappeared but the light remained in her eyes. "This is Mad Mob and Mumbo we're dealing with here, remember?"

"Yeah, so…" Then suddenly he broke out in a grin. "Oh…that would make sense, wouldn't it?"

"Want to try?"

"…Why not. It's either that, or both my arms are going to dislocate soon…" He turned his head to look at the two adults. "Good luck!" He called.

Then he let go of the rope.

-M and M (Alex: Hahahahahaha—that's funny!)-

"Surprise, surprise, the duckies saw through it all..."

"Who would have thought—and the adults are a little too chicken to follow after."

"…Save for the fast one."

"…He doesn't count. He's got a strong inner child…"

-A-

I'll write this one short so you can try and recall what the last chapter was about. Have a wonderful weekend, ladies and gentlemen, and I hope it isn't snowing as much in your country as it is in mine. I have to go out every three hours to shovel the snow and that isn't easy with all those inches of snow…

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	9. Chapter 9: Almost round two

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Sorry I've been gone so long. Between working on the amount of school work my teachers hand out and my plans for destroying the world, I haven't paid much attention to these stories. Oh well, that's life.

DISCLAIMER: Everyone already knows the truth.

CHAPTER NINE: "Almost" round two

"Did you see what I just saw?"

Jo'nn nodded.

"He blew himself up!"

"Wouldn't there be debris or evidence if he did?"

"Hey, we're in some maniac's hat—I wouldn't doubt the fact that a tad bit of reality is messed up."

"Then…perhaps, he didn't blow himself up?"

The GL narrowed his eyes curiously at his partner. "…What are you getting at?"

-B, Sp-

"Hey…your kid isn't the suicidal type, is he?"

Bruce didn't want to answer. His arms were aching and his surrogate son just threw himself into the blender blades of doom. _Now_ wasn't the time for witty remarks or stupid questions.

Although, he wasn't as hurt as he thought he'd be. There wasn't any blood or grueling noises. That was proof enough that Robin wasn't lying in a millions pieces on the other side of the fan—him _or_ the girl he took with him.

So…the teens were safe?

Then what about them? Maybe it was good timing and a lot of luck that got them safely past the blades, but what about him and Superman. They were larger, they had capes, and neither of them were suicidal unless it had something to do with saving someone else.

"No." Bruce muttered stoically. "He's not suicidal. And, in this case, neither are we."

"Maybe they know something we don't?"

"…Like _what_?"

Clark cringed internally. The aggravated tone was back in the Dark Knight's voice, one that meant he was going to act head-strong again.

"Well, they've fought these guys before." Clark offered. "Maybe it's just an illusion. Maybe they know their enemy wouldn't try to kill them this early in the game."

"…_Game_?"

Oh, gee.

"I fail to see how this is a game." Bruce snapped. "If you want, you can let go and hit the fan. Otherwise, you can wait a little longer until I think of a plan."

"Plan or no plan, the kids are on the other side of that dicer and we've got to get to them."

"If they made it there in one piece, then they can handle a few more minutes without us."

Clark couldn't help but grin. "If they can handle themselves, how come we're here?"

…

Bruce didn't have a comment.

-The sand-dune-

In a prisoner-less pit of make-shift, sticky, sinking-sand, an air bubble broke the surface and made a punctual '_pop!_' as it burst…

…Then silence continued.

-BB, F, St-

The first thing he did when he landed was laugh. He laughed so hard he thought he was going to suffocate to death, and so did the weird alien girl Starfire. BB sat next to him, covered in wet sand from head to toe, shouting something about how insane Flash was and complaining about they all could have just drowned.

Yeah…but this was fun!

"Wow…I wish we had a villain like this." Flash sighed after catching hold of his breath. "It makes things interesting when they're not always trying to kill you right up front, or blow up the world with some hidden bomb. This is puzzling."

Starfire, standing, patted him on the back. "Oh—I agree! That was most amusing!"

BB scowled. "Amusing! You guys are _insane_! Look up and tell me you don't see that stuff!"

They did look up…and they did see it. The pit of sand ended ten feet above them, almost solid…like a ceiling. There were no walls, but some mysterious light allowed them to see where they were…and the vast darkness that stretched on until the end of forever in every direction…

"That _was_ a frightening journey down." Flash admitted, standing and brushing himself off. "I thought my lungs would burst if I had to hold my breath a moment longer."

"As did I." Starfire agreed meekly. "But how did you know we would remain unharmed if we fell through?"

"With guys as crazy as this, I didn't think they'd kill us just like that. Remember? They said that this _game_ was a challenge against the other teams. Why would they create an inescapable pit of sinking-sand if they didn't want us to fight each other one-on-one?"

BB squinted at him. "For the joker of the team, you sure seem to know a lot."

"It's fun to play dumb sometimes. Besides, it's not like I skipped out on school to be a hero. I didn't expect to be saving the city as a full-time occupation."

"Why not?"

"Stuff happens. I still want to finish post-secondary school in case I get crippled in some earth-shattering battle. I consider this a bonus."

BB nodded. "Not a bad idea."

"_You're so boring—I'm yawning here!"_

…And then there was Mumbo.

"We have defeated your first challenge." Starfire declared. "And why are you '_yawning_'? Are you tired?"

There was an audible sigh before Mumbo's 'omnipresent' voice continued. _"Okay, forget about the yawning—and yes, congratulations for passing the first task. Although…I really expected one of the kids to guess it…"_

"Too bad." Flash replied.

"_Well, you might have spoiled a bit of the fun—but the curtain doesn't fall for another hour or so."_

"Why? What happens in an hour?"

There was a long pause from the other end of the conversation…Beast Boy assumed Mumbo made a slip-up.

"_Okay—forget the yawning—forget the time! Your team is the only one finished so far—all the others still have adults slowing them down. Hang around for a while…and watch your step…"_ Mumbo laughed, his voice beginning to fade until his maniacal cackle was nothing more than a mere echo.

"That was…most peculiar."

"Dude—we're winning!"

"…Want to take a look around?"

BB and Starfire gave him the '_are you crazy_' look.

"Dude—he just said, 'watch your step'! Didn't you hear?"

"I heard…But this place can't go on until forever. If you really want to beat this guy, you can't let him drag you around by a bunch of puppet strings."

"Shows what you guys know. How much do you want to bet your partners aren't going to figure out the up-side-down-i-ness of this world for another hour?"

Flash made a sour face but didn't say a thing. He turned briskly on his left heel and started off into the darkness.

Starfire wasn't exactly keen on wandering off into the vast openness of…well, _nothing_. But what's life without a little faith? You had to take a messy risk here and there, and if you couldn't depend on your companions to help you along the way, who _could_ you trust?

Shrugging off what little doubt she had left, Starfire followed suit. Beast Boy made a noise that sounded like something between an exasperated sigh and a whiny groan but ran to catch up with his partners. If they were going to be suck together they might as well get used to it…

-B, Sp-

"Now?"

"No."

"…Now?"

"No."

"…_Now_?"

Bruce leaned his head to look at him, stoic expression wavering to one of annoyance. "Give me five more minutes. If I can't think of something by then, you can let go."

Clark smiled. "Good."

-R, Ra-

"Looks like we were right."

"Thank goodness for that."

Robin paused for a moment…just letting it all sink in…and burst into laughter. Raven raised a suspicious eyebrow at him, but the corners of her lips nearly quirked up and she nearly chuckled. 'Thank goodness' was right. They knew they weren't going to get hurt; it was a gut feeling. But the thought that they were wrong…well, that was also a gut feeling. In all their shock of surviving the razor sharp blades of a super-sized fan, the best way to stay focused was to laugh it off. Either that or stare a hole into a wall in utter silence…then again, there weren't any walls. Just the fan, fifty feet above, and darkness on the horizon in every direction. A strange glow illuminated above gave them enough light to see one another.

"The landing was a little rough." Raven admitted, standing and brushing off her cape. Robin sat a moment longer, finishing off with his laughing spree, before standing with her. "What do you think we should do?"

"We have to wait for them."

"…That might take a while."

"Batman scrutinizes just about anything—whether it gives the impression of being suspicious or not. He's not going to fall toward the fan until Superman establishes an understanding with him and his paranoia, or if he finds a way to destroy the fan."

"…I have the feeling we'll be here a lot longer than 'a while'."

Robin sighed. "I think so too…"


	10. Chapter 10: Fatal mistakes

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

YAY! I got my new laptop. Now I don't have to fight over the computer with Victor or my sisters to update.

Anyhow—this chapter is dedicated to **Creative Spark**. So long as she updates "Cuts and Bruises", I'll update "The League's Hunt". You should read her story. She's got a nice plot and some good dialogue going on there. Now, shoo…go….read!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything of the sort.

CHAPTER TEN: Fatal mistakes

"Are they moving yet?"

Mad Mod shrugged, pressing a button on the keyboard. The screen divided into three sections, one showing each team. "The goof-balls are on a roll. As for the rest of the adults…"

The Green Lantern had a look on his face that said something along the lines of 'I just swallowed battery acid' and Batman was 'frowning'. At least, he was frowning as much as any person could tell by the cowl he wore. Superman had a pleading look on his face and Jo'nn…well, Jo'nn was Jo'nn. There wasn't much left to say about him.

"You know…don't you feel a little odd?"

Mod shrugged again. He slouched down further in his chair and yawned. "It's a bit odd seeing the Justice League here—not to mention a little boring. The Teen Titans are an amusing bunch all on their own."

Mumbo rolled his eyes. "I mean as in _movement_. For the last couple of minutes I felt as though I was upside-down with my feet nailed to the floor and then, just now…the feeling was gone."

Mod turned to look at him. "We're in _your_ bloom'nhat. You tell me."

"Usually I would have said that someone moved the hat, but you said you would contact me with your cameras." He growled. "Haven't you been checking?"

"Too busy praying the Bat would just let go, but hey—" He sat up and pressed another button. "Let's see what the ol' cameras have to say. I think the one on the rim of your hat should still be functional. Maybe the police picked up your hat after we disappeared."

"…And threw us into a closet?" Mumbo frowned at the darkness.

"…Bloody hell—that's one big closet!"

It took a while for the microscopic camera's night-vision to kick in, but with the push of a few buttons, Mod cleared the screen. It was…a ruddy old warehouse. The last time Mod checked, there hadn't been an earthquake in Jump City since…well, there was that girl. Maybe it was her doing.

"Well that's all fine and dandy—someone threw out a perfectly good hat, mate."

Mumbo moaned. "I don't think so…"

"What do you mean?"

"Who would throw out evidence?"

"…No one, I don't think."

"And, either than the police, who do you think would be interested in an object containing the Teen Titans and the majority of the Justice League head guys?"

Mod groaned too. "Another criminal…"

-F, St, BB-

The walk was agonizingly long. BB wasn't exactly walking (actually he was a squirrel perched on Starfire's shoulder), but he was bored…and hungry…and tried. Too bad he couldn't click his heels together and shout 'There's not place like home! There's no place like home!' Then the giant robots from Mars would come down, guns blazing and—!

"Beast Boy, are you 'dreaming of the day'?"

Beast Boy shook his little squirrel head quickly. Sometimes it was scary how close she was to the truth…but her English still needed a little more work. The term was 'day dreaming'. 'Dreaming of the day' was…well…something different.

Starfire quirked an eyebrow. "But you are quiet. Are you injured?"

"Don't jinx us." Flash piped in before Beast Boy could shake his head again. "This silence is golden."

Too bad…knuckle-head!

Beast Boy morphed into his humanoid self and nearly threw Starfire off balance before jumping off her shoulder. "Why don't you do something useful and zip us out of here?"

Flash grinned. "Do I look like Jo'nn to you? I can't ghost through walls."

"I know that! But you can grab us and speed up the journey." Beast Boy threw his hands up into the air. "I thought you were the fastest man on earth!"

"I am, and you're the crankiest kid on earth. Running around is only going to exhaust us. Your crazy friends will zap us to the next stage of this weird competition when the others get past their challenge."

"Then why are we walking around?"

He laughed. "You'd much rather sit around and do nothing?"

No…not really—but still!

"You are…" Starfire paused to think of the word. "'paranoid', Beast Boy?"

Somewhere in his head a blood-vessel burst. "I am so _not_ paranoid! And even if I was—we're stuck in an endless abyss of darkness with nothing but a giant mass of goopy sand above us! _I have every right to be paranoid_!"

Hyperventilating, he watched the two heroes stare at him like a piece of raw meat that suddenly got up and started dancing. Then they both looked terribly shocked and started backing away from him…like he wasn't dancing anymore, but doing something much more menacing…whatever that was…

"Dudes, I won't eat you. I'm a vegetarian."

Starfire gulped. "Beast Boy…I firmly believe _he_ is not…"

Whatever 'he' was, Beast Boy didn't care to find out. But, out of a mix of curiosity and stupidity, he turned around anyway.

And the only thing he saw was row after row of long…white…razor-sharp…_teeth_.

-C-

"…Where am I?"

He turned on his emergency lights, the entirety of his robot body glowing faint blue. He was in…nothing, really. Just darkness and space without gravity. In the back of his mind he decided that this was probably where all the lost items in the world must go after people give up looking for them.

"Hello…?"

And the worst part of all—there wasn't even an _echo_…

-B, Sp-

"Have you decided yet?"

Bruce sighed. In all honesty, there was nothing much he could do without his utility belt, and it was gone thanks to Robin and his friends. The fan was too strong. Not only were his arms aching, but the rope he grabbed hold of was on it's last thread. It was either now or never.

"There's nothing else we can do." Batman admitted, defeated.

Clark gave him a look of understanding. The man knew Bruce hated to be wrong—you never got anywhere when you were wrong, and yet…well, Robin and his friends were pretty smart too and they kept a city of their own safe and sound. The Teen Titans were right on their own ground and if they went through the fan…then they would follow.

"What do you think comes after this?" Superman asked.

"Hopefully, not another wind tunnel." His last threads jerked. "The moment my rope gives way, let go and follow he to the fan."

Yep…they were going to hit the fan.

-GL, J-

"Do you want to go first, or would you prefer it if I tried it?"

The Green Lantern didn't say anything. They had paced around for a bit (on the spots they knew weren't explosive) before deciding that someone else should try to blow themselves up. The kid was on his own (_wherever_ he was) and could probably use some backup, even if he wasn't in any immediate danger. Teams stick together…and that's what they should've decided at the beginning.

"No…I'll go first." The GL shook each leg out, preparing to do a mad dash. "Wish me luck."

"My prayers are with you."

With a nod and a deep breathe he was off. It didn't take him that long to find an explosive tile, though. In five seconds he hit it—and it hit him right back.

The GL was propelled high into the air from the explosion before he landed ten feet away. Luckily he didn't land on another explosive area, but, unfortunately, Jo'nn didn't know how to get to him without risking an injury.

"John—are you alright?"

The Green Lantern sat up; both hands hovering around his left leg, the one he stepped on the tile with. It wasn't bleeding but the sharp pain in his shin followed the pounding rush of blood told him it was broken… "N-no….my leg…"

"_Sorry, duckies. It's not going to be as easy for your lot to get through game."_

It was the weird British guy again…the one who thought everyone was a duck.

Jo'nn stared up at the gaping abyss above. "What do you mean?"

"_You're boring. Our beef is with the Titans and that's where it'll always be, mate. So, as they pass through the rounds, we'll exterminate you."_

"You can't kill us if we don't move."

"_Exactly—so the tiles will have to move for you…"_

Just then the floor lit up. It kind of reminded him of a disco floor with it's blue and red tiles. He assumed that the explosive tiles wouldn't remain all the same color and he knew John had thought of that too by the look on his face. The man struggled to stand on his one foot and watched as a few of the tiles shifted colors…

"_If you think this is a kick in the mouth, just image how your friends the Bat and the Superb man are going to feel once they realize they're mistake…That is, if they live long enough to figure it out…"_

-B, Sp-

There was the slight sound of a torn thread and suddenly his rope gave way. Batman was nearly tempted to hold his breath as he began the long descent toward the fan, hoping that he'd be able to find Robin and his friend immediately after he and Superman fell…

…But in the pit of his stomach, he _knew_ something was terribly wrong…

-A-

I would have made this longer, but I couldn't help myself. I just had to leave you there at that little cliffhanger. I have killed characters in the past…what do you think will happen?

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	11. Chapter 11: Down the devil's throat

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I'm sorry for the delay. I totally ace-d my Chemistry exam so instead of having to study for the retest my teacher scheduled, I can use this time to write. I'm so ecstatic!

But anyway, I know I've been killing a couple of readers as I entertained the thought of killing off someone in this story. Now…you get to find out… (Q. evil laughter)

DISCLAIMER: …Refer to any of the previous chapters.

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Down the devils throat…

Bruce had made a handful of foolish mistakes in his time. Sure, saving the people of earth was a tasking business but he was safe (or close enough to it) so long as he kept his eyes opened and strayed away from irrational thinking. This, however, was irrational. A minute ago he'd been worried about his son's life after witnessing Robin's witty nose-dive into the fan below, but the feeling in the pit of his stomach hadn't made itself known _clearly_ until this precise moment. Up until then, it had been somewhat cloudy.

Now his gut was telling him this was his impending doom.

Superman seemed to think so too.

Reaching out just before it was too late Clark caught hold of another rope in one hand and the hem of Batman's cape in the other. Bruce choked, but reached up and righted himself so he could take in enough air to snap at his ally.

"_You don't trust me_."

He didn't mean to sound so _blunt_, but Batman, in essence, was the embodiment of blunt and he took everything by the cold hard pessimistic sense before he considered the kind-hearted thoughts behind his comrades' actions. Luckily, Clark had known him for a while now and, as such, Superman knew yelling was useless.

"You didn't look as though you trusted yourself." Superman stated just as bluntly. He prevented himself from smirking to keep from aggravating Bruce further. "I was acting on impulse."

"In the sense that…"

"If one member of the team feels uncomfortable about a situation, they shouldn't be forced into making a decision. I'm sorry about pestering you into letting go."

Batman seemed to take it to heart…although he didn't show it in his face. He kept his apathetic demeanor and decided to move on…

"So…if we don't jump…" Batman craned his head to look downward at the fan, keeping his cape firmly in his grip as not to slip and choke again. "…What do you suggest we do?"

"_You're a bunch of paranoid freaks—you know that?"_

The magician's voice was back again.

Bruce rolled his eyes behind the cowl.

"_Good call though—I let the kids through alright, but I was prepared to make mince-meat out of you for taking too long…Seeing as Mr. Invincible could possibly hold on forever, I have no choice but to move onto Act Two with or without your co-operation."_

Batman didn't like the sound of that too much…but he didn't like the sound of the man's voice either. Something was wrong. The criminal sounded a little…_panicky_.

Seeing that no one was going to interrupt his little rant, the magician continued. _"Given that I don't have the time or patience to watch you hold on forever, I'm just going to change the scenery. While I'm at it—I'm also going to change the teams…"_

Bruce himself falling again, but this time it wasn't toward the fan. It felt as though the gravitational pull had reversed completely and he was thrown backwards into Clark. In the same second of impact, the lights died down and the two of them fell at a regular speed toward…_the ground_.

Falling headfirst, he squinted at the red and blue tiles before he hit them…

"…Batman?"

It took him a moment to collect himself, having blacked-out upon impact, but the hand he felt on his shoulder was reassuring and the voice was so familiar…

Pushing himself up to stand, he turned to Jo'nn. "…You're alive."

"So are you." Jo'nn replied without batting an eyelash. "Where are the children?"

Bruce took a look around…Superman had landed near the Green Lantern and was supporting the man with both arms. Apparently he hurt his leg…and he seemed to be paranoid of the blue tiles. It took Bruce a moment longer to realize the tiles were glowing and changing colour every couple of seconds, and that the two of his comrades were trying their best to avoid them.

"…I don't know." He admitted sourly. Then something dawned on him. "Where's the cyborg?"

"_Quite worrying about him." _The magician was back again _"You have enough problems of your own. Now…play good for a couple of minutes and I'll consider changing the scenery again. I have to check up on the kiddies now."_

Bruce was right…the man was worried about something. Earlier in the game, he and his accomplice appeared to have a plan but now…now a new variable had been added to the equation and everything was changed.

This was their chance.

Jo'nn must have been reading his mind, because he gave a rare smile and turned to face Superman. "I believe Batman has a plan."

Green Lantern's eyes seemed to light up at the thought of that. "Thank God…"

-M and M (Mad Mod and Mumbo)-

"Do you think they're getting wise about us?"

"We have bigger problems to worry about, mate." Mad Mod was typing away madly at his computer, checking all the cameras. "Look familiar?"

Mumbo shook his head. "Not a clue. It's not as though I have a handbook of all the Jump City criminal liars. Let's think…" He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Who hide's out in abandoned buildings and knows everything that the Titans are up to…"

Mad Mod paled. "There's only one bird crazy enough to stalk the Titans and powerful enough to keep out of jail…"

Mumbo resisted the urge to gulp. "…Slade."

"Now what?"

"If he knows what we're up, he could set my hat on fire!"

"Why would he do a thing like that?" Mad Mod frowned. "I thought he liked picking on the duckies."

"Yeah—but who could pass up the chance to kill five League Members with just one stone? We have to hand this over to Slade."

"_What?!_ No way I'm—"

"Look—we can't continue, and we obviously can't run! If we hand the operation over to him, we still get to torment the Titans and their nutty guardians without dying!"

Mad Mod wasn't too keen on handing all the fun over to a world-renowned villain who already had enough shots at the Titans, but Mumbo was right. Slade was not a force to recon with.

"Fine…" Mod admitted in defeat. "But I'm staying in here. _You_ can talk to him."

Mumbo didn't agree with that statement, but he knew Mad Mod was too thick headed to do this on his own. It was either now or never…

With a wave of his magic wand, Mumbo slipped out from the realm of his hat and down the devil's throat into the dark abyss known as Slade's domain…

-A-

Ha! Another Cliffy! I didn't want to keep you guys worried about Batman and Superman so I had them in this chapter, but the purpose of this chapter was to add Slade into the equation. But don't worry—despite his power addiction, he won't be dominating the plan. This is still Mumbo's realm and he controls anything and everything that happens to both the Titans and the League members. :)

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


	12. Chapter 12: Insanity rules

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

Free time—yay! But I have mid-terms coming up at the end of the month… (Sigh). Alas…

Anyhow, I got some time off from my sisters and my cousins so I decided to work a little on my stories. It's my birthday on Saturday (yay!) so I'm going to be eighteen…but…then I won't be a kid anymore (cries out in agony) No!!!!!!!!!...

DISCAIMER: Refer to any of the previous chapters.

CHAPTER TWELVE: Insanity rules

"…No one's here."

Shayera kicked the back of the couch. Containing the majority of her fury, she made sure she didn't damage the furniture. "I knew it…they're out somewhere killing each other."

"…at the museum?"

"What?"

Diana pointed to the scene. Plastered on the screen of the main computer was a map of Jump City, each of the Titan's insignias surrounding the museum, stationary…

"Then they're not fighting anymore?"

Diana shrugged. "I suppose…but that doesn't explain why they wouldn't answer any of our calls on the way here. Something must be wrong."

"As if they couldn't handle it! Not only does the city have the Teen Titans on the watch, but five members from the Justice League are here to lend a hand. Unless Lex Luther's suddenly making trouble for the boys here, I honestly doubt they're in any serious trouble."

"Still…" Something was fluttering in her stomach. Diana had a feeling… "We should just check up on them."

"I don't know why you're so paranoid." Hawk Girl turned to survey the room, somewhat impressed by the tidiness. She knew Batman had a knack for keeping everything organized, and he must have passed that trait down to his protégé. "They can handle—"

"Hey!"

Startled, Shayera spun around with her mace raised…only to see Diana staring intently at the screen. "You're trying to scare me, or something? What's wrong with you today?"

"The screen—it flickered!"

Shayera stared at her as though she was insane. "…That's lovely. Now, can we go?"

Diana shot a dirty look back her way before gesturing to the screen. "Watch! The insignias—they—"

…flickered. One second they hovered over the museum and then—in the blink of an eye—they disappeared. In an instant they were back again, but that small flicker could mean only one thing…

"They're gone…both the guys and the Titans."

Shayera nodded mutely. Someone was fooling around with the superheroes again.

"But who do this—and now? Was someone spying on us in the Tower?"

"Impossible." Shayera skipped over the couch and leaned on the consul. She watched as Diana hacked into the system. "Look for any major criminals still at large in Jump City or any other city in the surrounding area. This _has_ to be bad timing."

And whoever made the timing was going to regret messing with the Justice League…These heroes had little tolerance for the games the Titans had to put up with day in and day out.

"Here's one…" Shayera stared up at the screen as the files flickered past. It halted on one familiar face.

"…Deathstroke the Terminator. Why am I not surprised…"

-Mumbo-

Mumbo wasn't a brave man. If he was, then he wouldn't need a wand and a magic hat to fend off the Titans as he tried his latest 'get-rich-quick' schemes. Not that he wasn't very successful, but the fact that he could at least get a hit in meant that he wasn't _entirely_ defenseless. With Slade…well, no one was safe with Slade. That's why it had always been a wonder to him why the guy hadn't killed the Titans off yet. After all, he was a world-renowned, meta-human mercenary and they were a bunch of teenaged super-freaks…minus Robin, who was just plain old weird in the way only mortals like Batman could be.

He mentally 'gulped' before he materialized, gripping his wand like it was the only thing connecting him to the world of the living. He'd seen the aftermath of Slade's rage on petty criminals—Johnny Rancid had been evidence of that the last time he was sent to jail. The idiot escaped one night but was bet senseless and mysteriously returned to his cell before the Titans were called in. Mumbo had to wait a week before the guy would talk again just to get one word out of the mortified man: _"Slade"_

Trying to focus his eyes in the dark, Mumbo suddenly decided he preferred the nice bright halls of JC prison over the cold atmosphere of Slade's domain any day. If there was anywhere he would rather be at the moment it would be prison, but—again—he didn't want to risk going up in flames if Slade suddenly decided he'd light the hat on fire.

For all his talk about patience, Slade was _not_ a patient man.

"_I was wondering when you would crawl out of that hall of yours."_

As weak as his knees felt, Mumbo was determined not to shake. Feeling that his voice would betray him, Mumbo said nothing in reply and waited for Slade to continue.

Two spotlights switched on, one over Mumbo and the hat (blinding as hell) and another ten paces in front of him. There was silence for a moment…until Mumbo heard the _'click, click'_ of Slade's boots as he stalked into the second spotlight. Hands folded behind his back, Slade's one could grey eye scanned Mumbo and he sighed in disappointment.

Slade chose not to say anything demeaning…yet.

"That hat of yours fascinates me." The man finally said, his gaze averting to said object. Mumbo wondered if it was malice that twinkled in his eye, but it look a little less hostile than that…all the same, if meant Slade was planning something. "Would I be correct to assume you have both the Titans _and_ the leaders of the Justice League in there?"

"Yes…and no." He gripped his wand tighter. Mumbo had no idea how he would be able to use it against Slade, but it was nice to think of it as a safety net. "The Hawk Girl and Wonder Woman are elsewhere."

"I already know that…which is why your _partner_ will distract them while I destroy their comrades."

Mumbo's eyes flickered to his hat. Slade was going to burn it after all…

Slade laughed, not heartily but it mild amusement. "Your hat is safe so long as the Titans remain inside. I'm not through with them _yet_…"

"And the ladies? How do they know about my plan?"

"All they know is that something is _wrong_. While they're off chasing the headmaster Mad Mod, you'll show me how to operate the reality within your hat. If you're going to play mind games with the kids, then I suggest you learn how to make them squirm."

Well, at least he wouldn't have to deal with Mod's bad temper, but working with Slade was no cakewalk… "I don't know if you'll be able to work it on your own. It's insane."

The glint in Slade's eye returned, mischievous as ever. "So am _I_…"

-R, Ra-

Waiting for Batman was like…waiting for _death_. You never know when it's going to come, but there it is…lingering indecisively just around the next bend…

"I think I'm going insane."

"You're not the only one." Raven admitted stoically. She had resigned herself to meditating, levitating in the darkness with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. The familiar mantra of _'Azarath Metrion Zinthos'_ fell from her lips quietly and had done much to sooth Robin's nerves. But after a while the darkness just became too 'unnerving' and Raven grew quiet once the fan disappeared, the light with it. She had said nothing until now but Robin knew she was uneasy.

It wasn't until a small blue light blinked to life a few meters away and gravity suddenly abandoned them did Raven and Robin begin to hope for something _new_ to happen.

"Yo! Robin!"

The light intensified and shifted to white as Cyborg singled them out in the abyss. It blinded both Robin and Raven momentarily but they were just glad to find another member of the team.

"Have you seen any of the others?" Raven asked, skipping to business. They were all worried about their fellow teenaged superheroes and the members of the Justice League…even if they did ruin their day.

Cyborg shook his head, slowly but surely turning upside-down. There was nothing to stop his movement but at least he was floating closer to them. "It feels like I've been here for ages. The last I saw of the Green Lantern and that weird alien dude, they were staring at me like I was crazy. I blew myself up to get here…thought I died."

"You're alive. I'm certain." Raven pulled down her hood and sighed, uncrossing her legs to get comfortable. "Mad Mod and Mumbo must be running out of ideas if they're holding us here."

"Maybe we lost?" Cyborg suggested, adjusting his light to shine less brightly on his friends.

Robin shook his head. "Mad Mod had a million ideas for us when we were stuck in his school, and they became even crazier when he tried to turn the city British. They wouldn't have a time-out center that wasn't dangerous if we lost. They'd want to keep us active."

"I guess…how do you think BB and Star are doing."

"They're strong believes in humor." Raven sighed. "I can imagine Mumbo focusing on them. And with Flash in the mix…well, you get the point."

"Then what do we do? Hang around until someone else shows up?"

"No." Robin said, the determined look returning to his face. "Mumbo's reality can't control everything. There has to be _some_ law in here that will help us get out of here."

"Fine, but right now I'm opting to swimming…"

And despite the lack of motion, Cyborg flailed about like there was no tomorrow.

-BB, F, St-

He gulped and sheepishly began to back away. The goopy monster reminded him of Plasmus, but with longer fangs and claws that reminded him of steak knives. It stood at about the same height as Plasmus, gurgling in the same nonsense and stomping forward with great difficulty as it tried to keep together.

Mud coloured goop sprayed from side to side with each wobbly step it took. Glancing back at his comrades, BB noted the disgusted look on Starfire's face and the half-confused/half-amused look on Flash's before he began to morph into something bigger than the monster—a T-rex.

Flash readied himself like an athlete at the starting line and Starfire's eyes began to glow.

Today was a day for action…

-A-

Aha! I finally wrote a chapter that had just about everyone in it. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing.

Slade, I've determined, is one hell of a hard mind to get inside of. I never know what he's going to say until I write it—_as_ I'm writing it. I hope he sounds in-character because he's language just _flows_…

Oh, I got into reading the newer comics—"Nightwing" to be more specific. I've never seen Slade in any of the comics I bought until I got _'Nightwing: Renegade'_ this week. Awesome! Richard Grayson and Slade Wilson really do have a long history together.

_Merry (late) Christmas, and a Happy (late) New Year!_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_

PS: Sorry about any grammatical mistakes. The next time I update I'll run through the chapters and try to hunt down some of them. You're constructive criticisms have been noted :)


	13. Chapter 13: The wand

The League's Hunt

Alexnandru Van Gordon

I know no amount of excuses can butter you (the readers/reviewers) up enough to forgive me for my obscenely long absence, but you have my English 112 Professor to thank for my return (not to mention a good old talk with **DLsky**). I know I shouldn't need someone to give me a well-placed kick to get back to work, but university isn't all fun and games. I have three hour labs—beat that Victor:p—and I read my e-mail once in a blue moon (which is whenever I'm not studying or doing homework). But thanks to your constant reminders and my English Professor's love of writing, I give you this…

—Oh! Before I continue, I know I mentioned something about Slade _possibly_ taking control over the Titans' (and the League's) current position, but I'm going to leave that up to you to determine. Just read and enjoy. The answers will come in time.

DISCLAIMER: I'm a big boy—I know what the word 'sue' means…

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: The Wand

"How close are we now?"

Diana sighed, swooping higher above the streets to scan the building-tops before levitating back down to Hawk Girl's level. "Eight blocks—give or take a few. I don't see any action and I don't hear any sirens."

"So what—I'll take on the creeps while you find the Titans and the guys."

"Sure thing…" Wonder Woman chuckled. "I want to be the first to see the looks on their faces. Jo'nn's expression might not offer much amusement but I'm sure Flash will make up for it."

"No kidding. Maybe Batman will—_Omph!_"

Neither woman registered the odd whistling noise until the cannonball was directly behind them. Plummeted by a sphere that was nearly half her size and weighed possibly twice as much as she did, Shayera took the hit with as much grace as she could in midair, but failed to defend herself sufficiently. A sharp resounding _'crack'_ echoed in the night as the dull weight connected with her skull, sending both her and the cannonball tumbling toward the traffic below as the abnormally large, wooden Grenadier Guard of the Oueen's British Army wound up its arm to toss another one their way. Stationed on top of one of the nearby buildings, Diana noted six others waiting on various other buildings for them to pass before she dove headfirst to catch her unconscious comrade. Ten feet above a speeding pick-up truck, Wonder Woman caught hold of Hawk Girl's arm and pulled up out of her dive.

"So much for an easy night." She muttered. "It looks as though someone doesn't want us to make it to the museum."

Shayera groaned incoherently below her and stirred. A moment later she blinked her eyes, rubbed her head and began flapping her wings. "W-what hit me…?"

"A cannonball."

Shayera blinked again, staring up at her savior incredulously. "Say that again."

"A—_cannonball!_" Diana pulled up suddenly, releasing Shayera's arm and tossing her up into the air, narrowly avoiding two more missiles tossed in their general direction. The wooden lackeys might've been slow winding up, but their aim was admirable.

"I get the picture." Hawk Girl muttered as she corrected her position in the air. Lifting her mace menacingly, she glowered at the small army. "I bet I can flatten them in five minutes—tops!"

Wonder Woman smiled, relieved that the blow to her partner's head hadn't dampened her spirit. "I bet I can crush them in two."

Hawk Girl flapped her wings suddenly, somersaulting in the air to avoid another shot. Tossing Diana a wicked grin, she nodded. "_You're on_…"

-St, F, BB-

It was times like these that remaindered her of the evils of baking. Sure, Starfire enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen—especially when one of her teammates was willing enough to taste her food—but she drew the line when the batter got into her hair.

Finding herself swatted away very much like a fly by the hand of the large goopy monster, Starfire collided mid-air with Beast Boy in his pterodactyl form and sent both of them tumbling toward the ground. Taking part of the creature's body with them, both superheroes began choking on the sickening muck in their mouths, struggling helplessly to get out of the pile of goo gluing them to the floor.

"I-I do not t-think…this monster…w-will be e-easy to…d-defeat." Starfire murmured, squirming between breaths to detach herself from the mess. Beast Boy had tried almost every dinosaur to crush the beast, and nearly every existent animal-form to separate himself from the goop. Sadly, he was unsuccessful in both cases.

"I don't think so either, Star." Beast Boy sighed. Taking a break from pulling himself free, he inclined his head sideways to glance back at Flash. The fastest man on earth was trying his damndest not to get hit by the monster. "This reminds me of Plasmius. How about you?"

Star, shoulders shagging, nodded in defeat. Taking a piece of her hair, she examined the damage. "This also reminds me of the batter of precious pastries."

"Huh?"

"The soft base of sweet things."

Beast Boy chuckled. "You mean dough?"

"_DOUGH!"_

Both Starfire and BB jumped, twisting in the pile of goop to see Flash. In the blink of any eye he appeared next to them.

BB blinked. "What about dough?"

The adult grinned. "What happens to it when you roll it too far and start to stretch it?"

…

Flash sighed. "Never mind—I'll show you—"

In a heartbeat he was gone again, nothing more than a blurring red and yellow line as he began running circles around and around the beast. Confused, and enraged, it lifted its old hand and its newly formed one and brought them crashing down toward the irritating trickster. Flash easily evaded the attack and sped out of the way, taking his speed up a notch until the base of the creature started to turn, very much like dough in a mixer.

Crying out in blunt distress, the creature began to flail madly as its midsection was twisted not once, but twelve times in the span of a second. Soon its upper body began to turn, slow and sluggish in its movements.

Soon the entire creature began to spin, blurred by Flash's colour and the vortex created around it. Tension building, goop tearing, it suddenly separated down the center.

Thrown off balance, the torn pieces of the monster flew in every direction as semi-hard, rubbery balls. Star ducked just as one soared past her face but BB caught one in the side of the head. His eyes spun and his tongue lolled out one side of his mouth until he shook himself back into consciousness and scowled at Flash.

"HEY! Watch where you're throwing those things!"

Suddenly appearing beside them, Flash reached over and ruffled Beast Boy's hair. "Aw—come on! You have to admit that was fun!"

"_And so it was…"_ Mumbo replied, his omnipresent voice appearing once again. Starfire wasn't exactly familiar with all the human emotions yet, but she could detect the strain in his voice. _"Congratulations, kiddies—but it's almost time to wrap up the show. Let's move on to the last round, shall we?"_

Starfire paused. "Is this a _'show'_ or a _'game'_?"

"_Uh…both…I think…It just got a little more complicated, if you know what I mean."_ He chuckled, but the strain was still there. _"Well…say goodbye to Flashy Boy. He has to meet up with the other adults for…a…reunion! Yeah…a reunion…"_

"You don't sound too happy about it." Flash wondered aloud.

"_Hey, kid. I just wanted to tell you…life really ain't all that fair. Not for you…not for me…"_

"I don't understand why you're—Hey!" Suddenly sinking into the floor, Flash began to struggle. "Wow—is this déjà vu or what?"

"Flash!" BB and Starfire exclaimed in unison. BB stretched his arm vainly to grab hold of Flash. As annoyed as he was by the man, the last thing he wanted to do was separate from him.

"I'll be okay." Flash assured him as the floor reached his neck, rising continuously. "And I know you'll be okay too. After all…you're the Teen Titans."

With a wink of his eye, Flash was gone, the latest meal of the inane hat. Starfire murmured a small 'goodbye' and knew that he was about to be reunited with the other members of his team, but…but something didn't feel right.

"_Cheer up, kids…"_ Mumbo sighed before his voice disappeared entirely. Alone, cold, and left in the still sluggish goop, Starfire and Beast Boy waited nervously for the next test ahead of them…

-Mumbo-

He knew he was wrong. No—he knew _Slade_ was wrong. Any day of the week, Mumbo would be more than happy to declare that he was a villain of Jump City and an actual adversary of the proud Teen Titans, but not today…Today he wasn't just a petty thief…

Today Slade wanted him to be a murderer. Having separated Flash from the kids, he placed the League members into a single group so that Slade could abolish them in one foul swoop. But as much as he hated good-natured defenders of Virtue and Justice, Mumbo didn't consider himself low enough to kill any of them. Even he had his boundaries.

But hey…it wasn't as if _he_ was the one doing the killing. That was down Slade's alley…

Still. He would be responsible for their demise.

"I should've stayed in bed this morning." He muttered to himself in the darkness of his hat. Slade knew that he could operate it from the outside, but Mumbo convinced him that he needed to set everything up on the inside first before he could hand it over to the evil mastermind. But maybe…maybe he could give them a chance—not _directly_, but with the aid of the League's younger heroes…

Raising his hand, wand held gently between his fingers, Mumbo gave a flick of his wrist and…

-Raven-

_Azarath metrion zinthos…Azarath metrion zinthos…_

"I know it sounds crazy, but then the kid turned to me and said—"

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

"—and I'm like, _'ya'll need to calm down and let me see the_—"

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

"—and then he was all, like, _'man, if I let you in, my boss is gonna_—"

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

…

_Azarath metrion zinthos…_

…

_Azarath metrion…_

Raven opened her eyes. "…Zinthos?"

Mumbo just stared at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She blinked, startled by the sudden change of scenery. It only took her a moment to compose herself. "…Nothing that really concerns you."

And pulling back her arm, she aimed her dark energy in his general direction and chucked it as hard as she could. Unsurprisingly, Mumbo was protected by an invisible barrier that absorbed the attack immediately. He didn't even need to blink.

"Sorry, Miss, but I'm in control here."

_Here_—wherever that was—was nowhere near the place she was before…if that made any sense at all. Only moments ago she was meditating peacefully with Cyborg chatting merrily to Robin in the background when suddenly, and without warning, she found herself transported to a dark control room. The only light came from the huge consoles, most of which were black. One revealed BB and Star trapped in a pile of goop, moving their mouths in sync as though trying to sing along to some song. A second portrayed Robin and Cyborg lost in the dark abyss, the only source of light coming from Cy's shoulder. They had taken notice of her absence and looked quite alarmed. The third…showed the five members of the Justice League hoping from glowing red tile to glowing red tile, trying desperately to avoid the blue ones.

"What do you want?" She muttered darkly.

"More importantly—what do you want?"

Raven blinked. "What do you mean?"

Sighing, Mumbo gestured to the screen with the Justice League. "In a couple of minutes Slade is going to be here. And when he arrives, he's going to kill the Justice League."

Taken aback by his blunt honesty, Raven gasped. "Why are you—"

"I'm not." He replied, almost as though he had read her mind. "I don't want them to die, but if I don't hand my hat over to Slade, he'll kill us all. That's why I'm shifting all the responsibility to you."

"Go figure." She scoffed. "How do you expect me to help?"

"With this." He held up his wand—before tossing it to her. Raven caught it coolly and shifted from her meditative state in the air to land on her feet…Then she aimed it at him and willed all her powers into the slick black piece of wood. Unfamiliar with the relic, but able to channel some of her magic into the earth-born weapon, a blaze of dark energy darted out one of the wand across the room toward him. Much to her surprise, the shield was still up.

Mumbo smiled. "The wand controls some of the reality here, but the hat is the true source of my powers. So long as I own it, there's nothing you can do to harm me."

"Then how do you expect me to defeat Slade with this?"

"Slade won't be in possession of the hat—he needs me to control it. But still, with your powers combined with the magic of my wand, you can find a way to set both the League and your friends free."

One eyebrow arching skeptically, Raven grinned. "But I thought you were doing all this to have a little fun…?"

The petty thief laughed nervously. "Yeah…well…it's not so fun when the biggest baddy of Jump City rains down on your parade. It's a hell of a lot better when you're the one in charge."

"So it would seem…" No one really liked Slade—even the few criminals that enjoyed death and destruction. They were just too afraid of him to do anything about it. "Very well. How do I use it?"

"Don't know—it's different for everyone." He shrugged. "But hurry—we haven't got much time."

Mumbo raised his arm as though he was about to cast another spell, but Raven interrupted him suddenly. "—Wait!"

"…Why?"

"It's just…" She wasn't exactly an expert at this, and she'd be embarrassed if friend's ever found out about it, but… "…Thank you…Thank you for making the right decision for once, Mumbo. Your cooperation won't be forgotten."

"…High praise from a heroine." He grinned again. "I guess today wasn't such a waste after all…"

Without giving her further notice, he waved his hand in a familiar pattern and winked as he suddenly sped away. Or rather, the entire _room_ sped away from her in the opposite direction until she found herself in the dark once again. For a moment she was lost between two dimensions until Cyborg's light glistened to life ahead of her and her two friends turned to face her.

"Don't ever do that again!" Cy shouted. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Robin, as calm as every leader was expected to be, squirted at the wand in her hand and merely asked. "Where'd you get it?"

She held it up before her face, admiring the simplicity of it. "Mumbo."

"Why?"

"To save the Justice League."

"Do you know how to use it?"

"No."

"Are you willing to give it a try?"

"Of course."

Robin smiled. "Okay."

Cyborg paused…and stared incredulously between the two of them. He was lost by the secret understanding in their conversation. "…Please don't tell me you two haven't been brainwashed…"

-A-

Short, but informative. This is a turning point in the story, and I'm glad, after all these months, that I remembered what to write. I hope you enjoyed it.

_Until Again,_

_Alexnandru Van Gordon_


End file.
